


Desperate Times

by kawherp



Series: V: The L.A. Chronicles [1]
Category: V (1983)
Genre: Dubious Science, Ensemble Cast, F/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Sound science whenever possible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:04:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9384146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawherp/pseuds/kawherp
Summary: Scientist Kim Winthrop is grieving the death of her fiancé when the Visitors arrive. When her brother is taken into custody, she goes into hiding, determined to get him back at all costs. She has no idea what she is doing, or how she'll do it. How hard can it be?





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Blows dust off the file. I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about this "little" story.
> 
> Yes, this is the same one posted elsewhere on the interwebs. But in this era of ereaders and portable devices, I thought it might be nice to have it accessible offline. I'm also not willing to learn how to generate all possible file formats just to offer that. Why reinvent the wheel? 
> 
> I do intend to finish it, still. Martin is pretty special to me and I want him to get off the dang ship and start living the adventures I have all planned out. Many are written out, just waiting for me to get past the post-war cleanup effort that never ends. Life happened, I got swamped with Stuff. Then a fellow names Steve Rogers came along and distracted me.... 
> 
> Steve and Martin have a lot in common. I imagine Megan and Kim share too many traits, too. But they all unique characters in my mind. I just hope my writing has improved over the years! If you see typos, please point them out. Even though this was all edited by a dear friend, mistakes happen and multiply on dusty hard drives. 
> 
> I'll work on getting the rest up in a somewhat regular fashion. And yes, I love discussing this universe and these characters to death. Recent events have shared some eerie parallels with this universe, and I hope we find our way forward in the Real World with less violence and fear than the Visitors brought with them.

Judy pulled into her driveway and glanced next door to where her neighbor Kim was standing. She was holding a bag of groceries, but her eyes were turned skyward. She looked pale, Judy mused. The poor kid had been hurt so much.

Judy got out of the car and looked up to see what held Kim’s rapt attention. “Oh my,” Judy breathed. The air around her was pulsing with energy. As they watched, the ship glided into position and stopped over the city of L.A.

“Kim! Come here! They’re all over the world! UFO’s are here!” Kim’s brother Andrew called from the front door.

Try as she might, Judy couldn’t muster the same excitement Andrew felt. She needed to do something normal, something to help tighten her grip on reality. Determined to stay calm, she got a bag of groceries out of Kim’s car and followed her neighbor into the house.

Andrew’s enthusiasm was not dampened by the lack of excitement in his sister. “Kim, can you believe it? A real flying saucer! What do you think they’re like? Do you think they’re like us?

The question broke through Kim’s shock. Her scientific nature pushed to the surface and the logic circuits kicked in. “No,” she said, finding her voice. “The probability of alien life forms resembling humans is so remote that for all practical purposes, it is impossible. I’m more worried about their intentions. We really have no way of defending ourselves.”

“I hope they are friendly,” Judy said nervously.

“Me, too...” Kim agreed, unable to keep the worry from her dark brown eyes.

“Don’t worry about it! What other reason could they have for being here?” Andy said.

Oh, to be fifteen again! Kim thought longingly. Could she even remember what it was like to be convinced that life was fair and know that good always triumphed in the end! She only hoped that her doubts were unfounded.

“What do you think they want?” Judy asked.

“I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see. Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Kim sank down into a chair and stared at the TV. A feeling of foreboding swept over her as she watched ship after ship glide into view of the cameras.

“Okay,” Judy said. “I’ll go put the water on for tea. Andy, will you please get the rest of the bags from the car? If anything happens, we’ll tell you.”

“Judy, don’t worry about it. I’ll put it away later,” Kim called from the living room.

“I’m just getting the cold things. The cans can wait. I’m not going to let a bunch of aliens make the ice cream melt.”

*****

Ten o’clock found the world still ignorant of the aliens’ mission. Kim glanced at the clock and yawned. “I don’t think we’re going to learn anything tonight. We may as well get some sleep. Andrew, you’re going to school tomorrow and I’m going to work. We can’t stop living our lives just because a UFO is parked over the city.”

“Aww, Kim!” Andrew protested.

Judy tried to curtail the coming argument. “She’s right. If anything happens, I’m sure the principal will let everyone know. Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine.” At least I hope so, Judy added mentally. Kim’s reaction was rubbing off.

*****

After Judy and Andrew retired, Kim took the groceries downstairs. She set the bags along the basement wall and checked one last time to make sure she was alone. A light touch to a series of hidden buttons caused a section of the wall door to slide back and reveal a stairwell. Once she moved the bags in, the door slid shut, sealing out the world. Another code punched into the panel at the bottom of the stairs gave her entrance to her lab.

A sonnet by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Kim’s favorite poet, reverberated through her mind.

_Time does not bring relief; you all have lied_

_Who told me time would ease me of my pain!_

_I miss him in the weeping of the rain;_

_I want him at the shrinking of the tide;_

_The old snows melt from every mountain-side,_

_And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane;_

_But last year’s bitter loving must remain_

_Heaped upon my heart, and my old thoughts abide._

_There are a hundred places where I fear_

_To go,- so with his memory they brim._

_And so entering with relief some quiet place_

_Where never fell his foot or shone his face_

_I say, “There is no memory of him here!”_

_And so stand stricken, so remembering him._

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kim admired her small chunk of utopia. It was the only good thing coming out of Marc’s death. He had left all of the fruits of his law practice to her, telling her that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted her to go on with her life.

Theirs had been a storybook romance. Both of them had successful careers, she in molecular biology, he in law. When he saw her house, they agreed it was where they wanted to grow old together. He put his own ocean-view condo up for sale and started to move his things into their home. After the wedding, he would move in and they would start to plan a family. Already the nursery was fully stocked and ready. All it needed was a baby to make it complete.

Kim’s heart was warmed at the memories. But the room she looked at was a result of Marc’s death. Sheer determination had pulled her through the past six months. She had a long life ahead of her, and she planned to live it. If she couldn’t have Marc, then at least she would have her dream of a secret lab. From early childhood, she had experienced recurring nightmares of global disaster of one flavor or another. The hideout provided her with security against the nightmares. She didn’t care how crazy it might look to an outsider, though she doubted anyone other than the builders knew the space was here. She was doing what she had to do to maintain her sanity.

Looking around, she nodded in approval. She had everything she and Andy could ever need. Lab animals inhabited the cages along one wall and around the corner under the stairs. She had a separate bedroom and bath, and enough food to last two people almost a year. There was even a surveillance system so she could see what was going on in the house above her.

Directly above the chamber was an in-ground swimming pool that she had built while the lab was being completed. Its construction had satisfied the neighbors’ curiosity and bonus pay had earned the willing silence of the work crews.

There was no logical reason for her to build the lab. Her friend Jackie had claimed to understand, but Kim knew that no one would ever see why she needed this room so desperately. Even she didn’t know why it meant so much to her. Maybe it was the fact that this was the one place on Earth where she was in control of her life.

She put the food away, fed the animals, and left. Her room was intact and waiting for her.

*****

The next evening, the trio gathered once again around the TV. They watched anxiously as a Visitor named John stepped into view. He could have passed for human, except for his voice which reverberated strangely.

Disappointed, Andrew looked away from the television and gave Kim a puzzled look. “What’s that you said about probability?”

At that moment, Kim’s feeling of unease mushroomed into gut-wrenching fear. A cold, clammy sweat beaded on her forehead and her dark brown bangs stuck to her skin from the moisture. She sat still as a statue as John made his plea for help.

Judy noticed her reaction. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything,” came the monotone reply. Her voice was like ice.

They watched the rest of the broadcast in silence.

*****

Soon after the broadcast was over, the phone rang. It sounded out of place in the huge, silent house. Kim recovered her composure and went to answer it. If she knew her friend, it would be Jackie, her soul mate. They had met in college and quickly discovered their common interests. Though they were stark contrasts in personality, they often understood each other without even saying a word.

“Kim, did you see the news?”

“Jackie, thank God! Where are you?”

“At the cabin. What do you think of John’s offer?”

“He’s no military officer; he’s a politician. That speech was perfect and he knew just how to deliver it. I think we’re in trouble.”

“I was afraid you’d say that. I hate it when we agree.”

“I know; it means we’re right.” Kim sighed. “What should we do? What _can_ we do?”

“We have to get together and I have the perfect place picked out. Can you meet me at...”

“Jackie!” Kim called into the phone. “Jackie!” Shaken, she hung up. Seeing Judy’s eyes on her, she shook her head. “Phone went dead.”

“Well, I guess it’s to be expected. The phone lines are buzzing right now. I’ll bet the computer just gave up and shut down. You can try to call her later after they get the systems adjusted to the load. Don’t look so worried.”

“I’m sure that’s all it is,” Kim agreed. But after they went to bed, Kim lay awake thinking. They had been cut off and she knew it. Kim was a firm believer in gut feelings. The only times she had gone ahead with what her gut told her was wrong, she had gotten into trouble. And now it was telling her that someone had been monitoring that call. Someone that had the capabilities of controlling communications. Someone with a voice that reverberated. Kim knew she would not be able to reach Jackie, no matter how often she called.

Through the night, images of John’s smiling face haunted her sleep.

*****

As the days went by, life resumed its normal routine. For most of the world, nothing had changed. “So what if there are ships hovering over every major city?” was the attitude many civilians took. Throughout history, Kim knew, human survival was linked to man’s adaptability. But perhaps humans were adapting too soon to the new world they lived in. The novelty wore off too quickly to suit Kim.

While the world was shocked to hear of the scientific “conspiracy,” Kim wasn’t surprised at all. Something of that nature was bound to happen eventually. Kim was too cynical to believe anything the Visitors were telling her. She was also smart enough to know that she should keep her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself. That would wait until she knew what was going on.

Quietly, so as not to arouse suspicion, Kim began to gather information. Impartially and methodically, she listened to gossip, interacted with Visitors, and took notes. Kim was a scientist at heart and prided herself on her ability to block off her emotions and attack her work from an analytical point of view. Fear gave way to logic, only to give way to fear again as she realized what she was up against.

Weeks passed with no word from Jackie. At first Kim expected to wake up one morning and find her on the doorstep, but that fantasy had quickly crumbled. It was just too dangerous for both of them.

The Visitors’ strangle-hold tightened with each passing day. What make Kim sick was how quickly the humans accepted without question the lies that reporter Kristine Walsh told them. Even Judy told Kim she was too paranoid for her own good. Kim said nothing when people began to shun her. She never complained once when she was called to add her name to the list of scientists in the Visitor computer banks. Not even Judy’s offer of chocolate bribes could draw her out of her obsession with the Visitors. Privately, Kim appreciated the effort, but she knew that she dared not speak of what she was learning. For now, her only weapons were her eyes, her ears, and her ever growing files.

That changed one ordinary day when she went to collect Andrew from school. The kids in school followed their parents’ example and gave Andrew much grief because of his sister’s occupation. Kim had been forced to take him to and from school herself to help protect him from the growing hatred. Even so, he had come home bruised more than once- beaten by kids in the Visitor Friends program.

She slowed the car when she saw the squad vehicle parked in front of the school. While she watched, a group of kids were escorted out of the building and onto the shuttle. The Visitors were armed, and the teenagers all had their hands folded on top of their heads. Kim’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Andy’s face in the middle of the bunch. His right eye had a new bruise over it, and he was deathly pale. The look on his face was an expression of fear and entrapment.

He stumbled, and a soldier shoved the butt of a rifle into his ribs. Kim bit back a sob when she saw, then threw the car into reverse. Alone and unarmed, she couldn’t help Andrew right now. She had the car turned around and out of sight before the last of the Visitors stepped into the shuttle.

*****

The tires screeched as Kim pulled into her driveway. She ran up the steps and into the house at top speed and took the stairs to her bedroom two at a time. Hastily, she ripped clothes out of her closet and crammed them into a suitcase, being careful to select outfits she hated. That done, she snatched a small strongbox from under her bed and was headed downstairs again in ten minutes.

Judy was pounding on the front door. Kim ushered her in. “They took Andrew. _Now_ do you believe me? I’m not being paranoid.” Kim’s voice grew louder, until she was shouting. “They are up to something! Wake up, Judy. Look around you. _This_ is a mission of peace?” Kim was almost hysterical as she said the last words.

“I’m sorry. You were right,” Judy whispered. “I just didn’t want to believe it.” She sighed and looked at the floor. Her eyes fell on the suitcase. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going away. They will come for me next and I have no intentions of being here waiting for them,” Kim said.

“Where will you go?”

“I can’t tell you that. It’s safer for both of us if you don’t know. Will you take care of the house for me?”

“You know I will,” Judy answered softly

“Good. Everything you need is in here. There is plenty of money in savings. We have joint savings and checking accounts, remember?”

“No.” Judy shook her head, trying to remember.

“We did that after Marc died so you could help Andy until he was eighteen if something happened to me.”

“Oh, yes. I’d forgotten about that. Don’t worry about this place. I can handle it. Will _you_ be safe?”

“Believe it. I’ve done everything they wanted, without question. But this time they’ve gone too far. I’ll take on the whole fleet if I have to, but I will get Andrew back.”

“How?” Judy didn’t like the look in Kim’s eyes. Her features were hard and unfeeling...so unlike Kimberly.

“I’ll think of something. In the meantime, don’t worry.” Kim grasped Judy by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. “Don’t believe what you are going to hear about me. I’ll be back, even if it means coming back from the dead a few times. When the dust settles, I’ll come home. So don’t sell the house out from under me, okay?”

“I don’t like the sound of this. Why don’t I go with you?” Judy offered.

“No, where I am going, you couldn’t help me. I need you here. Please, Judy, I know what I’m doing,” Kim said in a tone that indicated arguing was a waste of time.

“Okay, just please, please be careful. You’re like a daughter to me,” Judy said and gave Kim a quick hug before Kim pulled away.

“Don’t look so worried. I’ll be back before you know it! Gotta run!” Kim answered as she pulled away from the embrace.

She dashed for her car and drove quickly away. She had taken too long at the house. It was too late to worry about that now, she reminded herself. Within a few minutes she reached the cliff she had selected and stopped the car a few feet from the edge. After taking one last look around to be certain that no one was watching, she lit a match and tossed it on the carpet. Then she took the car out of gear and pushed as hard as she could. It slowly rolled over the edge and tumbled and rolled to the bottom of the valley. A few seconds later, she could see flames and it soon exploded in a raging ball of fire.

Kim crouched in the bushes by the road and nodded in approval. Her ploy wouldn’t fool the experts for very long. But she hoped that the investigation of the accident would buy her enough time to get into hiding. The best place for her to go was also the last place they would look for her. With a deep breath and a set jaw, Kim set out for home.

Kimberly was slow to anger, but once aroused she was cunning and dangerous. The aliens had made a mistake when they took Andrew, for by doing so, they had created a deadly enemy, who would not be stopped until she was either satisfied or dead.

For the next four days she worked long hours, sorting and resorting the scraps of data she had collected. All of the information she had was carefully typed into the computer where she could organize all of it at the touch of a button. Frustration quickly set in as she tried to piece the alien’s mission together. No matter how she turned the situation over in her mind, she came up with more questions than theories. The few facts she had didn’t add up to anything coherent. She needed more information.

Watchful for Visitor troops, she left the surveillance system on at all times. Judy came daily with the paper and mail as she had promised. Many times, Kim was tempted to go up and tell Judy everything, but she held out. Once, she went upstairs after Judy left to see if anything had come in the mail from Jackie. Disappointed, she went back into hiding and waited. Something was going to happen. She could feel it in the air.

Judy, watching for any signal that Kim was alive, immediately noticed that the mail had been moved. Car crash indeed! she thought. She wondered if the Visitors knew just what kind of enemy they had made in Kim.

The very next day after Kim had ventured upstairs, a frightened young man burst into the house on Judy’s heels. “Who are you? Where’s Kim?” he demanded with growing panic in his voice.

Kim, watching the exchange from the lab, recognized the lad as her friend from work. He helped in the company lab during summers to help pay for his college education. Many evenings, he would come over to Kim’s house to discuss technical problems. Kim had grown quite fond of the boy and helped him however she could. She recognized his scientific potential and did everything in her power to nurture his abilities. She wondered what had him so frightened.

Judy stayed calm. “I’m Kim’s neighbor. Who are you?”

“Never mind. Where is she?” Lewis said, looking around him wildly for an unseen enemy.

“Gone...some say she’s dead,” Judy replied cryptically.

“No! She has to see this. She can’t be dead!”

“See what? Calm down, maybe I can help,” Judy said calmly.

“Just give this to her. Tell no one!” he called over his shoulder as he ran out the back door and disappeared into the darkness of evening.

Judy looked at the small, dirty envelope he had thrust at her. Kim’s name was written on it. What could have terrified the child so? she mused. Puzzled, she slid the envelope in with the other mail. When Kim came home again, she would find it.

As soon as Judy left, Kim retrieved the package. Inside was a hastily scrawled note and a small piece of...something. She opened the note and read, “Visitor skin sample. What do you think? Be careful! Lewis.”

 “Bless you, Lewis,” Kim told the note. This was the break she had been waiting for. She couldn’t wait to take a look at the cell structures and figure out just how alien these Visitors really were. With a silent prayer for Lewis’ safety, she started to work.

*****

“...She works for a pharmaceutical company, has experience in microbiology, and is extensively trained in biochemistry. Subject is to be taken unharmed to the mothership for questioning. Proceed,” the soldier in command said, then opened the shuttle door. Four Visitors filed out obediently and approached the house.

The last soldier out of the shuttle sighed as he looked around the neighborhood. These raids were becoming too routine to him. It seemed that he was asked to bring conspirators in every day. Surely they couldn’t all be guilty. Flames appeared before him, for just an instant, distracting him from his thoughts. He shook his head to clear the image from his mind, then followed his colleagues up the walk to the house.

“Philip, search the lowest level,” his superior said to him when he stepped inside the door. He nodded. These humans used such strange sounding names. Compared to some others he had heard, though, Philip was one of the better selections. He removed his sunglasses and set out to find the entrance to the basement.


	2. Hiding

Not even five minutes passed before she heard the sounds of footsteps. Four shock troopers marched into her home and began to methodically search for her. One of them leafed through the mail that was stacked neatly on the table, but he didn’t find what he was looking for. Kim glanced over at the microscope and smiled. They never would find it, either. She turned back to the monitor and saw that only one Visitor was coming down to check the basement.

She watched the Visitor search the basement for her. Her hands moved to cover a switch when he neared the wall with the entrance. She hesitated for a split second, considering her options, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up, in spite of the risks. She threw the switch for the basement lights and activated the intercom. “Hands up and don’t make a sound,” she ordered. When she saw he was complying, she opened the secret entrance. “Now step inside the door that just opened to your left.” As soon as he was inside, she closed the door and locked it. The lights in the hallway came on automatically. Kimberly turned off the basement lights and switched the intercom to the stairwell. She saw the Visitor standing tensely, waiting to see what she would do. “Holster your gun. When I open the door, come in slowly. Don’t try anything- you won’t live to see the results.” Fingers crossed, she deactivated the intercom and opened the door. She positioned herself to one side of the entrance and snatched his gun as he came in. “Sit.” She indicated a chair with his pistol.

“You were unarmed!” he said, amazed, as he complied.

“Not anymore.” She flashed him a smile before turning back to the view screens. She kept the pistol pointed in his direction, but he made no move to attack her. They both watched as the soldiers came down into the basement to try to find their missing comrade. Finally, they gave up.

“Another turncoat,” one of them commented. “It’s no use, he’s long gone by now.”

Kim turned to the Visitor who sat watching her. “That door is the _only_ way out. It won’t open unless the proper code is punched up on the panel next to it. If you kill me, you will never get out of here alive. You’ll die of old age before you figure out the correct sequence. You can’t blow a hole through it...the walls are very thick and behind them are a few tons of solid dirt. It’s in your own best interests to refrain from injuring me. I die; you die. I’d keep it in mind, if I were you.” As she spoke, she pulled another chair around to face him and sat down.

“Well, I suppose you are wondering why I dragged you in here. Why not just stay hidden and wait for all of you to leave? Simple. I need information. What’s your name?” she asked him, her expression finally softening.

“Philip.”

“I’m Kimberly. I’m sorry you’re stuck down here with me, but I had no choice. You were the first one down the stairs and you were alone. You’re a victim of circumstances.” She noticed that he was still very tense, ready for anything she might do. “Relax, I have no intention of torturing or killing you.”

“Until you have what you want,” he replied tersely.

“No. I can give you a drug that will knock you out for a few hours. I’ll leave the door open when I leave. By the time you wake up, I’ll be long gone and you will be free to go. I mean you no harm.” She stood up and held his pistol out to him. Philip looked first at the weapon, then at her, not believing she was giving it back.

“What are you going to do? Take the gun, I don’t have any use for it.”

He finally took the weapon from her and holstered it. “You are unlike any others I have met.”

“I prefer intellect to brute force. Logic would indicate that people who can figure out how to cross eight point seven light years of space are intelligent enough to be reasoned with, especially if they have no choice.” She smiled at him and continued. “I don’t think you will be too miserable here. Back there is a place for you to sleep. Beyond that is the bathroom.” Kim indicated a door behind him. “Look around if you want. Through the other door is the kitchen, if you can call it that. There’s plenty to eat; help yourself when you’re hungry.”

“What do you want?” he asked, steering the conversation away from food.

Kimberly noticed he was beginning to relax and resumed her analysis. “Information. I’m looking for any exploitable weakness I can find. I don’t care if it’s social, genetic, biological, or political. I suspect that the weakness is linked to science, since scientists are the main target. But I can’t just sit back and do nothing. I don’t like what I see happening. Whole towns have been disappearing. Overpopulation has been a problem, but I get nervous when thousands of people disappear without a trace. I’d like to know where they are going, and why they are going there.” She bent over the microscope and focused the image.

“What else do you know?”

“I know that this is the strangest skin sample I have EVER seen. No cell structures. Not a cell to be found. I would say this is plastic.” She looked up and continued, “I know that insects never bother with you guys. Your body temperature is really screwed up. I’m sweating, you’re not. And at the mention of food, you changed the subject.

“Finally, the way you look. You appear to be just like us, right down to racial variation like we have here. African, European, Asian, Hispanic...the probability of two planets producing dominant life forms that are so REMARKABLY similar is so unlikely that I find it impossible to believe. My guess is that, physically, you aren’t like the people of Earth at all. _That’s_ what I know.” Her chin lifted defiantly. “How am I doing?”

Philip met her gaze but didn’t reply. Kimberly noticed that he seemed to want to be somewhere else, anywhere else, as long as it wasn’t here.

“That’s what I thought.” She smiled ruefully before looking into the microscope again. “So why _are_ whole towns vanishing off of the map? Where is everyone being taken?” Kim prodded, getting up to get a vial of dye.

Making a decision, he answered truthfully.

“I don’t know for sure. At first, we were told that certain people were part of the conspiracy, but recently I have seen children taken too. I’ve started to wonder if we’re being lied to. In the beginning, we were told to interact with humans as much as possible; we have had fewer and fewer chances to do that recently.” Fascinated, he watched her put dye on the sample and return the slide to the platform.

“Where are they being taken to?”

“Up to the ship. I have heard rumors that they are being placed in storage.”

“Storage? Why? And why are children being taken? Are they even giving a reason anymore?”

“We were always told they were part of the conspiracy. Anyone that questioned that was....silenced.”

“Conspiracy, my eye! I know some of the scientists who were accused...the whole thing smells like a set-up to me. That so-called evidence was planted. I suppose I’m one of the conspirators, too?”

Philip nodded. “That’s what we were told.”

“Someone told you wrong.”

“Then why...”

“Did I drag you down here? Because they took my brother. He is the only family I have and I want him back. Now I know where to start looking.”

“You would never make it up to the ship. Security is becoming increasingly tight.” He tried to discourage her. Perhaps when she realized how hopeless it all was, she would give up and let him go.

“What’s the story on this chemical that is being manufactured? What do you need it for?” She abruptly changed the subject again, seeming to flit from one topic to the next. Philip was slightly startled by her abrupt manner and didn’t realize that was exactly the intended effect.

“We don’t need a chemical; we need water. Our planet doesn’t have huge oceans like yours does. The water we do have is scarce and polluted. Our environment is in worse condition than yours; we had several natural disasters recently. Many people have died of starvation and thirst. I don’t know why they are manufacturing a chemical when we really need water. It doesn’t make sense.” Philip answered without hesitation. Telling her the little he knew could scarcely be considered a betrayal of his people. Especially if it satisfied her curiosity and convinced her to release him.

Kim thought for a moment, forgetting the skin sample completely. “Unless....that chemical deal is just a smoke screen. They said on the news that vast amounts of water are needed to manufacture the chemical. Maybe they are just pretending to be manufacturing something to cover the fact they are really stealing the water. Is that possible?” She looked over at him.

“I guess so. I haven’t heard anything like that, but they don’t tell us much of anything.”

“Heil, Hitler,” Kim said to no one in particular.

“What?”

“Nothing. I was just talking to myself. This whole thing seems to be a repeat performance of Nazi Germany in our World War II. I don’t like it.” She yawned, the fatigue finally reaching her. She got up and turned out most of the lights, then sat down at her computer. “There’s a bed back there for you. If you aren’t tired, there are a lot of books to read and a TV over there. Do what you want.”

Philip looked at her, but she was turned away from him. Unsure if he should reply to her comment, he remained silent. Quietly, he went to see where he could lie down.

The bedroom was small but comfortable, he noted. After removing his boots and sidearm, he turned out the lights and stretched out on the bed. He was tired but knew that he wouldn’t sleep; he had too much to think about. Still, being alone was preferable to being in the same room with her. While she hadn’t harmed him, she had made it clear that he would not be allowed to leave. He resigned himself to a long, sleepless night.

Kim’s hypothesis about the water bothered him. She had given voice to thoughts he had dared not harbor before. Now, all of his hidden fears came forward. He was forced to admit that they were all definitely being lied to.

On the ship, his long-time friend had mentioned that he was unsure of the real reason for the mission. Jim had said he was going to ask around to see if he could uncover the truth. Philip didn’t see him for many days after that. Then, Jim came into the rec-hall one day, spouting all of the propaganda lies he had previously questioned. Even with his human contacts, his eyes had the glazed look of the converted. Stripped of his will, Jim was now the puppet of the unseen enemy.

After that incident, Philip had just followed orders, trying not to think about anything. Thinking was dangerous. But now, he was forced to face the truth head on. What bothered him was what he was going to do now.

Gnawing hunger interrupted his thoughts. He hadn’t eaten since that morning. Glancing at the clock on the dresser, he saw that it was the middle of the night. Perhaps he could get past the woman without waking her and get something to eat. He knew he would be unable to hide his true nature from her forever, but he wanted to decide how much to tell her before he answered any more questions. He turned on the light beside the bed and slipped quietly past the woman. She appeared to be sleeping soundly on the small cot he had sat beside earlier.

He froze in his tracks when he neared the cages. At his approach, the animals panicked and paced their cages in fear. Quickly, he snatched a large rat and broke its neck as he backed away from the terrified rodents. At that moment, Kim began to thrash around in her sleep. Philip swallowed his meal, hoping she wouldn’t wake up.

Kim struggled, to no avail. Restraints held her spread-eagled and upright against the wall, forcing her to watch Diana....who was on the table behind her? Andrew? “NO!” she screamed, but there was no sound. Diana looked at her and smiled, standing over her brother’s unconscious body. She snapped her fingers and a knife appeared in her hand. With the skill of a surgeon, she carved a strip of flesh out of Andrew’s thigh. Blood spurted from the wound.

Diana looked at Kim and smiled again as she lifted the blood-covered flesh to her mouth and swallowed it. “NO!” Kim tried to scream again. “You’re killing him! You’re eating my brother!” She struggled endlessly in her hysteria as Diana cut another piece of flesh.

Andrew moaned and woke up. Turning his head, he looked at Kim before slipping back into blissful unconsciousness. The look in his eyes... Kim fell silent, ceasing to struggle. Her brother...the only family she had left. Kim sunk limply into her bonds.

Diana remained silent, smiling. She walked towards Kim, holding up the bloody meat of Andrew’s body. “Hold her,” Diana said, reaching towards her.

Hands held her head and forced her clenched jaws apart. She felt something warm and wet being placed in her mouth. She struggled in vain to spit it out. The hands that had forced her jaws apart now held them together. Tears streamed down her face as she writhed in agony. She wouldn’t swallow...she wouldn’t. Someone punched her in the stomach...hit her endlessly. Against her will, she eventually accepted defeat. Will broken, her body went limp. She opened her eyes once to see Diana watching her, still smiling.

Diana went back to Andrew, lifted the knife.

 “NO!” Kim screamed, as she sat bolt upright in bed. Philip was shaking her shoulder. She forced the horror back and tried to slow her breathing.

“Are you all right?” he asked her, concerned.

“Yeah,” she said, trying to catch her breath. “Just a bad dream. Thanks for waking me up. What time is it?”

“Three.”

“God!” She flopped back down, and looked at him. “Sorry I woke you.”

Saying nothing, he went back into the bedroom. He lay there for a while longer, made his decision, then finally fell into a deep slumber.

In the lab, Kim tried to relax. The dream- it had been so real. She knew she wouldn’t sleep any more that night. The feeling that her dream was more than just another nightmare stayed with her. She puzzled over it for a while, then put it out of her mind. Eventually, the answer would come to her. She looked at the clock. Only four hours of sleep....it promised to be a long day.

Quietly, so as not to wake him, she tiptoed past the Visitor and went into the bathroom. Perhaps a hot shower would clear her head. When she came out, he was still sleeping.

After eating a sandwich, Kim started to clean the animal cages. Her thoughts rambled from one subject to another. Looking at a special breed of mice, she remembered how difficult it had been to purchase them. The supplier, a long-time friend of hers, had mentioned that the Visitors were straining the biological supply companies with their huge requests for laboratory animals. “They’ve ordered enough to feed an army!” he’d said jokingly. At the time, they had both laughed. A month later, Kim didn’t find the notion so entertaining. “What _do_ they want you for?” she asked one of the mice as she transferred it to another cage. It scurried around and ignored her.

“I don’t think you’ll like the answer,” Philip said. Kim started at his voice. Somehow, she had missed hearing him get up.

“Maybe not. I’ll take that chance.”

*****

Some time later, Philip looked up from a book he had selected and watch her. She was turned away from him, but he could see her put a needle in her arm. Red fluid filled the syringe. He wondered why she was drawing her own blood. When she was done, she got another syringe out.

She turned to him, “Would you mind if I took a sample of your blood?”

“What if I do?”

“Then I won’t,” she replied evenly, and laid down the syringe. She tried to hide any signs of disappointment and turned her attention to bandaging her own arm. It was frustrating, but his refusal was hardly a surprise. Would she cooperate, if the situation were reversed? Probably not, she admitted. Still, she refused to force him. It was bad enough to be guilty of kidnapping. She couldn’t add torture to that, at least not yet.

“No, I don’t mind.” He set the book aside and started to roll up the sleeve of his uniform.

Kim didn’t believe her ears. He’d agreed? Trying to hide the surprise that had replaced her disappointment, she picked up the syringe and walked over to him.

Before she even inspected his arm to find a suitable vein he held up his hand. “Wait.”

“What’s wrong? And what did you mean earlier when you said I won’t like the answer?” Her manner was still friendly, but her curiosity would not be denied.

“Sit down. You have trusted me, now I’m going to trust you. If my people ever discover that I have told you this, we would both be tortured and killed.” He paused, wanting to judge her reaction to the idea. She seemed nice enough, and she had kept her word about not harming him. Maybe she could help him figure out what was happening.

Kim cocked an eyebrow but didn’t shy away from the threat of danger. “I accept the risks. Just tell me, what’s going on?” She sat down on the stool opposite him and leaned forward, watching him intently.

He turned in the chair so he was facing her. “I think you are right about the water. It fits in with other things that have been happening.”

“Like what?”

“Have you heard of the conversion chambers?”

“No.”

“Diana developed them. Somehow, she discovered a way to take everything you were ever frightened of and make it seem real...sort of an induced dream. With time, she can strip a person of his will, turn him into a mindless robot...fiercely loyal....and willing to do whatever he is told to do. At home, the process is used on political prisoners. There is a conversion chamber on the mothership. I know someone who started asking too many questions about the mission...the next time I saw him, he was a convert. I think Diana might be using it on your people, too.”

“Then you can tell if someone’s converted? How?”

“Little things. They seem glassy-eyed, lacking any ambition. They totally support what they were previously against. And there is one obvious side effect: everyone that goes in using their right hand comes out using their left and vice-versa.”

“But why are people being converted? What is Diana trying to hide?”

“I don’t think the theft of the water is the only reason for the conversions. There is more to this than either of us know.”

“But you still know more than I do.”

“Yes, but I will tell you because I do want to help you. We must find a way to stop this before it’s too late.” He hesitated, thinking of home and of Jim. He realized that anything he said would be regarded by his people as a betrayal of his species. But what they were doing was wrong. He took a deep breath, then plunged ahead. “You are right. We aren’t like you.” Slowly, deliberately, he took hold of the skin on his left forearm and pulled a large piece of it off, revealing the green scales of his own flesh.

“Reptilian!” Kim whispered, momentarily stunned. Her eyes widened. Scales. She got up and paced the room, ignoring him for the time being. Reptilian...and they were hiding it. As she walked, she thought out loud, ticking off items on her fingers as she figured things out. Fragmented facts were crashing together. After all of this time, things were beginning to fit together and make sense. “That’s why the scientists are being taken. They’re afraid we’ll figure it out. So they designed the conspiracy and made us the scapegoat for everything they are doing. They wanted to undermine whatever trust people had. That registration was to make sure they didn’t miss anyone!”

Reptilian! Her mind reeled. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, so much she wanted to know. What had their evolution been like? Did they have DNA, or some other chemical equivalent?

Philip watched her with surprise. He had been warned about how the humans would react if they discovered the true nature of the alien invaders. He had braced himself for her revulsion. She didn’t seem upset at all by the sight of his real skin, only by the reasons for the conspiracy.

Kim stopped pacing and looked at him. There was no revulsion in her eyes, only an intense curiosity. “Am I right?” she demanded in a gentle voice. “Is that why scientists were the first target?”

He met her gaze evenly, hiding nothing. “I would assume. But I was never actually told that.”

“I’m not surprised,” she murmured as she resumed her pacing. “But why all of the coy disguises in the first place? Why not just tell the truth in the beginning? And why are families and towns being kidnapped? There has to be something deeper, something they don’t want anyone to know about. It’s more than just the water...”

“I agree, but I don’t know what it is. Asking Diana questions is dangerous.” He rolled his sleeve up past his elbow.

“Then she has to be hiding something. She wouldn’t convert her own subordinates unless she had something to hide. We just have to figure out what it is.” Kim stopped when she realized he was watching her intently. “What?”

Philip shook his head and smiled. “I don’t understand you.”

“What don’t you understand?” She smiled back at him and sat down on the stool again.

“I heard lecture after lecture about how humans would react if they found out about us. Diana said you would all become hysterical and stop cooperating. But you...”

Kim laughed, understanding his puzzlement. “Why should I be hysterical? It’s fascinating. Besides, I’m a scientist- I’ve been trained to have an open mind. Now, I admit, a lot of people might react adversely at first, but they’d come around eventually if they were given a chance. But hey, if you want me to, I’ll scream.” She smiled again, teasing him. She sensed his tension.

“That’s okay,” he said, smiling back at her, and seemed to relax a little bit.

“So, what do you eat? Rodents?” Kim asked him, finally bringing up the topic he had avoided the most.

Unconsciously, Philip stiffened. He still didn’t trust her reaction to him. “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess,” Kim told him. Noticing his unease, she continued. “I suppose you haven’t eaten because you were afraid of how I’d react to that, too?” she gently prodded.

Philip nodded slowly, his expression still guarded.

“If you’re hungry, _eat_!” She stood up and took his hand, pulling him to his feet before he could protest. “You must be starving by now.” She looked up at him. She hadn’t realized it before, but at a height of six feet, he was the tallest Visitor she had met. She was only four inches shorter, but had grown accustomed to being at or above eye level with most of the Visitors she had encountered.

“It doesn’t bother you?” His brown eyes were still filled with uncertainty. Kim was unlike any person he had ever known.

“Not as long as I don’t have to eat it. Now go on!” She pushed him towards the cages.

Still he protested. “What about the blood sample you wanted?”

“It can wait.” She grinned. “You’re out of excuses.”

“I know.” Ill at ease, he walked towards the rodents, trying to pretend she wasn’t there. He snatched a large hamster from a cage, wanting to finish his meal as fast as he could. Before he swallowed it, he sneaked a glance over his shoulder to see if she was watching. Her back was towards him as she bent over the microscope. It was as if she sensed his discomfiture and wanted to make it easier for him. He suspected that was indeed the case.

“Where’s a good place to draw blood?” She turned away from the microscope and picked up the syringe when he came up behind her.

“I’ll show you,” he said, putting his arm on the lab table, palm up. He peeled more of the synthetic human skin off, leaving the inside of his forearm bare from the wrist to the elbow. “There. Do you see it? I don’t remember your word.” He traced the dark line of the blood vessel with a calcium carbonate fingernail.

“Vein. I see it.” Carefully, she selected where to puncture the blood vessel. Once decided, she deftly pierced his thick flesh and vein on the first attempt.

Green fluid flowed into the syringe and quickly filled the chamber. She removed the needle and pressed the wound with cotton to halt the flow of blood. “Hold that until it stops bleeding.”

Carefully, she changed her gloves and then prepared a small amount of the blood and looked at the image the microscope offered her. “Awesome!” she whispered; her eyes were wide. Several types of cells came into view. She sketched several, frequently swapping the slide with one of her own blood to compare her observations against. Without intending to ignore him, she became engrossed in her findings. Her mind raced through possibilities as she began to conduct a chemical analysis. But her excitement at new understandings was tempered with the realization that only luck would lead her to something useful.

Philip, having no scientific training, quickly lost interest in watching her and resumed reading. Now _that_ was interesting. Most of the books she had were either highly technical manuals and textbooks, or science fiction stories. He had chosen one of the latter out of simple curiosity and found himself completely engrossed in the wild adventures of the fictional characters.

*****

Several hours passed before Kimberly even looked at the clock. She was startled to discover that she had worked for eight hours without even pausing to get something to eat. She gulped down a sandwich without even tasting it. Something was nagging at her subconscious and the feeling of foreboding she had felt after her nightmare was stronger then ever. The answers to the Visitors’ mission were staring her in the face, but she was blind to the truth. Hunger and lack of sleep had made her temper short; she hoped she wouldn’t have a personality conflict with Philip-- it would make life miserable for both of them.

Wordlessly, she resumed her work with his blood. She labored for another hour when it hit her. “My God!” she exclaimed, looking up from the test tubes to stare at the photo of Andrew. The blood drained from her face and she shivered.

The sound of her voice after hours of silence startled Philip back to reality. He glanced up and saw the unmistakable look of utter horror on her face. “What?”

Kim put the pipette she was holding down on the counter. Her hands were trembling so violently she didn’t trust herself to hold it. “During your time on Earth, have you heard any of your people mention eating long pig?” She didn’t look at him; she couldn’t. If he had partaken, how would she handle it?

He thought a moment before answering. “Now that you mention it, I remember hearing someone say that she’d tried it.”

“Have you had it?” The nausea she felt was overwhelming. She could taste it in her mouth.

“No. What is it?”

Kim slowly turned to look at him. “Human.”

His look of horror matched her own.

Kim nodded. “I think that’s why people are being kidnapped and stored on the ships. You said many of your people have died of starvation-- the ships are stocking up on food and water to take home.”

“But I would _never_ knowingly...you’re an intelligent species...that’s practically cannibalism!”

“I’m not saying _you_ would. But can you say the same thing about Diana? Or your Leader? They have to have planned the whole operation.” While she spoke, she alternated between looking at him and turning unfocused eyes to the area in front of her. “It’s possible that only a very few of your commanding officers know the real reason you’re here. On Sirius, there could be propagandizing going on to convince your people we _aren’t_ intelligent.” She turned on her stool so she was facing him squarely. “Have there been any seminars or briefings regarding human behavior and intelligence?”

“Some. None were favorable,” he admitted. It seemed so obvious, now that he thought about it.

“The same thing could be occurring in the sections of the ships that are involved with the actual storage process. Anyone who finds out the truth and protests could easily be converted like your friend was. Can you think of another explanation for what’s going on?”

“I wish I could.” His stomach was in knots. To think that humans were being harvested as food!

“So do I,” Kim said wistfully. The color was returning to her cheeks, but her horror was not diminished.

“What are you going to do now?” If her theory was correct, Philip knew she wouldn’t look kindly on his own existence.

“Oh, I don’t blame you personally; it’s not your fault!” she hastened to reassure him, following his thought process.

Immediately he relaxed. It was a relief to know that she really didn’t hold him responsible. “If what you say is correct, there’s no way to stop it. Diana is too feared for a rebellion to form among the ranks...who would know the truth anyway?”

“There _has_ to be a way to stop it. I can’t believe that no one would rebel. Americans aren’t accustomed to martial law; maybe underground rebel groups are forming somewhere.”

“Even so, there is no way to unite them. The motherships are in control of all communications systems. How can we fight that kind of control?”

“We? You mean you’ll help me?”

“Yes. If you’re right..... then I have to. What do you plan on doing?”

“I don’t know, yet. But there’s got to be a way to save your world without killing mine. We have ice at the poles that isn’t doing anyone any good and animals that we’ve always considered to be pests because they breed so rapidly. Surely something can be worked out. But first, we have to think of a way to overthrow John and Diana.”

“That’s impossible.”

“What can be lost by trying? The only problem is _how_ to do it.” She laughed nervously. “I can’t believe this is happening. It reads like something out of my science fiction books!”

 “The first thing to do is find out if there really are small groups of rebels like you think there might be. You can’t organize them if you don’t have them. Were would they be hiding?”

“In basements of houses, abandoned buildings...they could be anywhere if they are there at all. Maybe everyone is believing what Kristine Walsh is telling them.” She yawned and continued. “We need to come up with as many ideas as we can.” She ripped a fresh page of paper from deep within her tablet, then set it aside as her timer beeped. She turned back to her test tubes and transferred some liquids from bottles into the tubes where she had earlier placed small samples of blood. Then she put a solid rectangle in a container of fluid, and carefully transferred the blood samples into holes in the rectangle. When she was done with that, she connected the unit to what appeared to be a power supply. She repeated the entire process a second time with a second unit.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he finally spoke. “What are you doing?”

“Comparing my cell contents to yours. The process I’m going to use is a Southern Blot, but I haven’t actually gotten to that step yet. This may not work at all, but it can’t hurt to try. Depends on how similar my DNA is to whatever is in your cells.” Kim smiled, seeing his confusion at her technical jargon, even though she had reduced her explanation to the simplest terms she could think of. “It will be easier to explain when I’m done, then I can show you.”

She set her timer, then checked the units one more time, nodding to herself.

*****

It was well after midnight when the experiment was done and she could peek at the results. Kim yawned, fighting off the urge to sleep. As long as it had taken, this was nothing compared to the old method of blotting that took three days. “But the hours are no better then they were in grad school,” she mumbled to herself.

“Hot damn!” She straightened up, suddenly energized. Philip glanced up at her, wondering if she was still going to show him what she had been trying to explain. Absently, she waved him over. “Take a look.”

She grinned when he looked blankly at three green spots on the nylon sheet she was pointing to. “Don’t look so impressed,” she couldn’t resist teasing. She picked up a pencil and pointed. “This lane is where I loaded my DNA. You can see it’s bright green. That’s because I took another DNA sample and put a bright green tag on it; it’s called a probe. When it matches perfectly, it sticks together. The brighter the spot, the better the match, because there is more probe sticking.”

She glanced up at him and he nodded that he understood.

“This lane is mouse DNA, courtesy of our little friends back there. I just threw that in as a control. You can see it’s not quite as bright. This is bacterial DNA. It’s even dimmer, but there is a faint band. That means it’s a lot different. Then this last lane is your DNA. Not as faint as the others, not as bright as mine.”

She moved to the other membrane and pointed. “Now, this one has all of the same samples, but the probe was different. The first one was all probed with my DNA. This one with yours. In both cases you see the same pattern. No matter what the probe is, they all show up, but with different intensities, just like you’d expect with different DNA samples.”

Kim could hardly contain her excitement at the finding. “And THAT means we are made of the same genetic stuff, at least at a basic level. I wonder what your planet’s evolutionary history is....” she muttered idly, her mind racing at the possibilities. She shook her head and grinned. “It’s no wonder they are going after the scientists. They don’t want anyone else finding out these dirty little secrets. They don’t realize it’s already too late. And those membranes won’t end their campaign, but it gives me a starting point in finding out just how many secrets they are keeping.”

“Good.”

“Damn right, it’s good. It’s even better than good!” Kim suppressed another yawn. “And I learned a long time ago that good results at the end of a long day mean it’s time to quit for awhile. If we don’t get some sleep, we’re both going to keel over where we are. You look about as tired as I feel. I think I’ll think a lot better when I’m awake.”

He stood and nodded, then paused, remembering their earlier conversation. “I just hope I _can_.” Philip felt the same lack of tension she did. Suddenly, their differences no longer mattered. Somewhere in the conversations of the day, fear and mistrust had been replaced by teamwork and the foundations of friendship.

“I know what you mean.”

*****

Kim slept for less than an hour before she woke with a start. The idea was ludicrous! She wouldn’t even consider it; it was too crazy. But try as she might, she couldn’t shake the notion. Instead, her mind came up with possible methods of doing it. Could she pull it off? Kim shook her head in amazement at her own insanity and got out of bed to work on it. If she didn’t think it through and write out the ideas, she’d never get any rest.

*****

Philip waited an hour, then got up. By now, she would certainly be asleep and he would be able to eat alone. He opened the door to the room he had been resting in and was surprised to find her working again. “I thought you were going to sleep.” Electing to postpone eating since she was awake, he saw she had a glass of water sitting next to her and decided to ward off his growing hunger that way. “Where do you keep those?”

“Back there in the cupboard, second door on the left.” She pointed. “I did sleep. But my imagination went into overdrive. I have an idea that’s so absurd it just might work. What do you think about my disguising myself as one of you and infiltrating the mothership?” she asked him while he got himself a drink.

Philip did a double-take, stood stunned, and finally regained his voice. “That’s crazy, and impossible.”

“I’m not so sure. You guys did it. Most people are still being fooled. I could do a lot more up there than I can down here. If there _are_ any rebel groups, surely Diana knows about them. I could undermine her efforts to stop them, maybe even put them in contact with each other.”

“You’re assuming you can infiltrate. There is no way you could even get to that point,” he challenged her.

“I didn’t say it would be easy. But the sheer absurdity of the idea would help protect me. Who would suspect that anyone would try something like that?”

“The first time you said something, they would know you were a human. And what would you eat?”

“I’d eat what everyone else eats.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Philip laughed, “I can’t imagine that!”

“I’m trying _not_ to. But if I had to, I think I could. At least some of it.”

“You really think so?” he asked, becoming serious again.

Kim nodded, ignoring her nausea.

“If you can, then it might work. But that’s not the only difference you would have to overcome.” He rubbed his eyes, trying to abate the soreness. Those miserable contacts! It was bad enough that he had to wear them all the time, but the way they reduced his field of vision by a third was too much for him to bear cheerfully.

“I know. But for me, that will be the hardest one. We should make a list. Then we can tackle them one by one.”

“You’re really going to do it?”

“If you have a better idea, now’s the time.”

He looked at her sympathetically, but stayed silent.

Kim sighed. “I don’t know if it will work. But thinking about it can’t hurt. We’d better make that list. I should probably have a double disguise. That way I’ll look like any other Visitor disguised as a human. And the Visitor disguise should be so complete that I could even go without the human skin if the situation called for it.”

She noticed he was rubbing his eyes again. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“They’re just sore from the contacts-- it’s nothing new. I don’t suppose you have eye drops?”

“I know all about that: Andy had contacts.” _Has_ contacts, she corrected herself mentally. “I have something better than eye drops,” she said, getting up. She got something out of a drawer and handed it to him. “If you take them out, they won’t bother you at all.”

He looked at the case, then took it from her. “If Diana knew....”

“I’d love to tell her someday just to watch her reaction!”

He allowed himself a smile, mimicking her facial expression, and took the case from her. She went back to her work while he took the contacts out. His field of vision expanded, and though the light was brighter than he preferred, he reveled in it. It didn’t take long for him to decide not to suffer like that again until he left the confines of the lab.

Kim moved closer and peered up at him intently. “You have pretty eyes.”

“Thank you. Put it on the list.” _Nothing_ seemed to upset her equilibrium, he realized with wonder. But how would she handle eating mice?

“Right.” Kim seated herself at the computer and began to type. “Let’s see, finding a way I can eat that garbage is a definite priority. You already mentioned my voice...and a way to duplicate your skin....”

“Your body heat,” Philip added.

“Only if someone touches me.”

“Wrong. Anyone who even gets close to you will know you’re warm-blooded.”

“Neat!” Kim added it to the list.

They were both silent for a few minutes, racking their brains for traits he had that she didn’t. Philip paced, trying to remember his early training on human physiology. Unconsciously, he flicked his tongue as he thought. Kim saw it.

“Your tongue.”

“What?” He snapped out of his reverie and looked at her.

“Your tongue.”

“What’s wrong with it?” He looked blankly at her, still lost in his own thoughts.

“It ain’t like mine,” Kim said pseudo-seriously before she stuck her tongue out to show him.

“Obviously,” he bantered, abandoning his pacing. He sat down and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger in a very human-like gesture.

Kim stared at him, trying to imagine any hidden differences. “Are those your real teeth?” she ventured. No carnivore would have omnivore teeth!

Philip didn’t even bother to look up. “No. You humans don’t have venom, do you?”

“No,” Kim answered, typing it in. She needed a cadaver to examine!

“I can’t think of anything else right now,” he said as he walked over to the cages. He paused and thought for a moment before adding, “I suspect this will be a rather interesting experience for you.” Then he took a rodent out and swallowed it. She’d better get used to seeing it. Before long, she would be doing it herself.

“It already _is_ interesting.” Kim yawned. “And maybe now that I have the ideas down, I can convince my busy little brain to be quiet and let me sleep.” For the first time in four months, she felt hopeful about the future.

*****

Philip wakened to find Kim kneeling by the bookshelves holding a small light. Periodically, she would select one of the volumes and add it to the growing pile beside her. She was obviously making every effort to be quiet, so he pretended to be asleep until she left.

When he was alone, he checked his chronometer and realized it was still early in the morning. How long could she keep up the pace before it broke her? He was startled by that thought. How had his attitude changed so quickly to trust and concern? He shrugged his shoulders. The last several days had been too bizarre for words. Trusting that she would wake him if she needed anything, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

*****

Kim poured herself another cup of coffee and reached for the next book in the stack. Finding out what the differences were was easy. Finding a way to change her body to make it act like a Visitor’s was the hard part. She glanced at the list and sighed. Textbooks were not enough. Already she had gained a general idea of how she was going to compensate for each of the differences. The problems lay in the practicality of the details. Unfortunately, all of her research pointed in one direction. Kim set her jaw in determination and resumed reading. There had to be another way.

*****

When Philip finally got up, she was still reading and taking notes-- with growing frustration. “Is there any way I can help?” he offered.

She looked up at him appreciatively and smiled. “Thanks, but I’m pretty much on my own for this part. Why don’t you finish that book you were reading yesterday? You seemed to be enjoying it. It’s one of my favorites.”

“I think I will.” He went to get it. Reaching for it, he thought once again of how badly he wanted to take the horrid plastic off of his body. His hands especially bothered him. Simple tasks like turning the pages of the book seemed more difficult when he had the pseudoskin to contend with. He fingered the plastic thoughtfully. Did he dare? What harm could it do? He had already done more than enough to ensure a visit to the conversion chambers upon his return. One more infraction of Diana’s rigid mandates couldn’t possibly worsen his fate.

Pleased at his own daring, he slowly and deliberately pierced the human casing at the elbow, loosened it from his fingers, and slipped it off of his right arm like a glove. Then he repeated the process for the plastic that still clung to his left arm. It was only a small part of his body that was free, but it felt wonderful. He wasn’t even concerned about Kim’s reaction; it didn’t matter. With a private smile, he picked up the book and settled down to read. And if she noticed his hands, she didn’t comment.

*****

Nightfall found Kim still plowing through textbooks, searching for answers. Philip had finally given in to his own fatigue and gone to bed. Kim waited impatiently for him to fall asleep. Then she went into action.

Quietly, she wrote a letter to Judy and told her that she would no longer be in contact. She was going deep underground until the danger was over, although she might call if she got in a sticky situation and needed help she could not otherwise obtain. Then she checked once again on Philip, took his gun, put on a jacket and left the lab, leaving the door open behind her. A part of her was afraid to trust him, but she couldn’t take the chance of getting killed and leaving him locked in what would be his grave, if he couldn’t figure a way out. Even though it was the greater danger, her conscience wouldn’t let her risk that.

Stealthily, she crept through the shadows of her home and made her way to the kitchen. Along with the mail, she found a cookie tin full of Judy’s handiwork. She set it by the door to the basement to take down with her later. First, she had something to do. She slipped her own letter into the pile of mail. Judy would surely find it.

With a deep breath and a prayer, she opened the back door and went outside. When she reached the front yard, she froze in horror. Her neighborhood had been attacked, but the lights in various houses indicated that people remained. Perhaps it was only a token battle. The smell of smoke assailed her nostrils and she almost screamed when she tripped over a Visitor body. Unfortunately, it was just what she had been looking for. She turned over the corpse and saw that the female had died of a single gun shot and very little blood. Her body was still pliable; she hadn’t been dead long.

Nervously, she looked around, terrified that she was being watched. No, everything was quiet. Fighting nausea, Kim picked up the body and made her way back to the house, stumbling under the burden. A few more minutes and she would be safe.

*****

Philip woke up with a start. Something was wrong. He got up and went into the lab, only to find Kim gone and the door ajar. What had happened? Surely he would have heard if there had been a struggle. Evidently she had gone out to get something but didn’t completely trust him to stay behind and had waited for him to go to sleep. Yet the door was open. Was she afraid that she wouldn’t make it back? Feeling uneasy, he went back to bed so she wouldn’t know he had been up. Philip knew he wouldn’t sleep until he was sure she was safe. That she had been captured and would reveal him as a traitor was too horrible to contemplate. Diana would torture him until he told her everything, and then torture him for the fun of watching him die in agony. No, he wouldn’t let himself think about that possibility.

Soon, he heard footsteps, slow and hesitant. He reached for his gun, discovered it was missing, then lay still. Her silhouette appeared in the doorway and he immediately relaxed. He considered asking her where she had gone, but decided against it. It would be too easy to lose perspective on the situation. They were allies, not friends. While he faked being asleep, she returned his gun to where he had placed it, and slipped out of the room.

*****

Kim exerted the last of her strength and put the Visitor onto a dissecting cart. She checked on Philip and found him still sleeping. With a sigh of relief, she locked the door and washed her hands. The night had just begun.

She stripped the body and saved the uniform. She and the Visitor were about the same height and build; maybe the uniform would fit. Grimly, she slid her hands under the pseudoskin, braced herself, and pulled the mask off of the Visitor’s head. She stood stunned. Intricate patterns of scales covered her face and the head was crested. In her own way, she was really quite attractive, not unlike the reptiles of Earth. Kim tried to imagine how Philip looked under his human mask and was surprised to discover that she could indeed picture how his face might look.

She removed the contacts and the dentures, then put them in containers in a cupboard. She hoped Philip would sleep a long time. This was not going to be pleasant. She idly wondered if there were taboos in his culture regarding autopsies and dissections of the deceased. It wasn’t her favorite laboratory activity, either. But it was the only way to get the information she needed on basic Visitor physiology, short of killing Philip and using him as a model. Kim shook her head. As difficult as this was going to be, she could justify it. “No different than medical school, Kim,” she muttered to herself. “Just another day at the office. Kidnap a soldier, steal another for a body, spend the night dissecting aliens... just another normal day.”

Kim took a deep breath and picked up a scalpel. Deliberately, she cut into the flesh and began to trace the path of digestion, taking samples and readings as she went. Her stomach lurched threateningly when she found the remains of the Visitor’s last meal. She had dissected animals before, and even examined the contents of their stomachs. But seeing it in these circumstances drove home the point that she would be eating a lot of raw meat. “Great. Had to be carnivores, couldn’t be herbivores. No. That would be too easy. Eat a few vegetables, munch a few trees... that would be too easy. No, I get to pretend I love rats.” She looked up, her eyes focusing on another image. “I bet they eat lots of grubs and other insects, too. Just my luck. I was grossed out by the book “How to Eat Fried Worms” in grade school, and as payback, God has decided I need to eat _raw_ worms instead.” Her eyes looked heavenward. “I do NOT find this to be funny!”

Her hair fell into her eyes, and she brushed it away with her forearm, being careful not to use her gloved hands. “I hope you are enjoying the irony, Sir, because I am not amused. And yes, you should know by now I always talk to you in that tone of voice when I’ve been up this late. You made me human, deal with it!”

Kim grinned at her belligerent tone. What would her minister think, hearing her talk to the Almighty like that? She’d argue that it was better than not talking to Him at all. Surely, He could tell when she was joking with Him. And with all the years she had logged in a lab, He should be used to it. “It’s Your fault, You know, that I get so slap-happy when I’m tired. By morning, I’ll probably be stretched out here dissecting myself.” Kim yawned again. “If I make it that long.”

Somehow, she found the strength and kept on, working through the night and into the morning.

*****

Philip found her still working when he got up. One look at what she was doing told him everything that had happened the night before. She must have heard him, because she glanced up as soon as he came out.

“It’s not what you think. I didn’t kill her. She was already dead when I found her.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Do you know her?”

Philip moved closer and studied the Visitor’s face. Seeing her made him long to take off what remained of his own pseudoskin. “No, I’ve never seen her before.”

Kim watched him intently. “Look, I’m not enjoying this; I hate it. But, I don’t have any choice.”

“You don’t have to explain. I understand,” Philip said softly. He met her gaze evenly.

“I’m glad _you_ do, ‘cause I don’t.” Kim used her wrist to brush angrily at the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. “I don’t know how my life got so screwed up. I’m a _scientist_ , not a butcher.”

“I know that. Are you finding out what you need to know?”

“I think so.”

“Then you have nothing to be upset about.”

“Thanks.” Somehow, his acceptance made it easier to continue what she was doing. She stripped off her gloves and poured herself another cup of coffee. How many had she consumed, Kim wondered idly. She had lost count long ago.

“You were up all night, weren’t you?” Philip asked. She looked haggard. Kim nodded, sipping at the bitter liquid. How she hated the stuff! But it was the only way to stay awake.

“Why don’t you stop for awhile and rest. You look terrible.”

“Gee, thanks. No, I just want to get it done and forget it ever happened. I’ll be all right.”

He changed the subject. “Has there been a lot of fighting?”

“I don’t know. It’s weird. There were a couple of houses that looked like they had been scorched by laser fire, but none of the others were touched. There were lights on in other houses, so people haven’t been taken. I didn’t see many bodies lying around. I don’t know what happened.”

“It sounds like a concentrated attack on selected people-- who fought back. Maybe rebel groups _are_ forming.”

“Or another search for me that didn’t get very far, for reasons we don’t know.” Kim stretched and pushed the hair back from her eyes. “This is crazy! I keep hoping that this is all just a bad dream and any minute I’ll wake up in my own bed, with no invasion to turn my life into a living Hell. But I never wake up, because it’s real.”

She avoided looking at the body for a moment, trying to forget. “Tell me, if you could be wherever you wanted to go, doing whatever you wanted to do, where would you be right now?”

“That’s easy,” he answered, his eyes taking on a distant expression. “I’d be home, on the edge of the Big Desert in the afternoon with a...friend. No problems, no pressures. And no one to bother us...” His voice trailed off. “How about you?”

“Well...Marc would be with me and we’d go horseback riding in the mountains and sleep out under the stars, swim when it got hot. God, I miss him.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Who’s Marc?”

“My fiancé...we were going to get married...raise a family together.” It hurt so much!

“What happened?”

“He died in a car accident almost a year ago. So much for those plans. Things were finally starting to get back to normal...”

“When we came,” he finished for her.

Kim nodded, then sighed as she reached for the box of gloves. At the rate she was going through them, her supply was not going to last very long. “I guess I can’t complain about life being dull,” she joked ruefully, seating herself once again beside the body.

Neither of them laughed.

*****

Jackie burst into the lab. “Kim! Thank God you’re all right! I have to talk to you. They’ve got Justin! I just left Jeremy with Judy. She’s worried sick about you. Have you seen Julie?” She started towards Kim, who sat facing the door, wearing a green-stained lab coat, and working over a dissection table on...something. There was a man sitting opposite her with his back to the door. The sentences that had come rapid fire moments before vanished from her mind.

Kim looked up, surprised at the interruption but unfazed by the questions. Jackie had the habit of talking fast and changing subjects mid-pulse when she was agitated. She had wondered when her old friend would make an appearance. And since Jackie was the only other person who knew the combination, the sound of footsteps a minute ago had only momentarily alarmed her. She waited for Jackie to absorb the situation.

Justin, too? Kim felt no reaction to the news, although she managed to feel alarm at her own lack of response. Somewhere between Andrew’s disappearance and her current dissection, emotional detachment had set in.

Jackie stopped when she reached the table. She looked more closely at the man sitting beside Kim. He turned to look at her and she noticed his eyes. She let her gaze fall and saw his hands, over a body that Kim had opened for examination. It wasn’t a human body. In fact...the skin looked like the hands of the man sitting beside her. She looked at Kim, silently asking, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Hi! No, I haven’t seen your little sister for a few weeks. She and Dan broke up. That’s the last I heard from her.”

“She’s gone.” Panic crept into Jackie’s voice. “They’ve got her. I know it. She wouldn’t just leave.”

“They have Andrew, too,” Kim said quietly. Right now, she was too tired to worry about how little anger she felt. As long as she kept working, it was okay not to feel anything, wasn’t it? She stood up and stripped her gloves off before moving to the nearest sink. “Jackie, Philip.” She gestured wearily.

“Hi,” Jackie managed weakly before focusing her attention on Kim. “Kim, who are these people? What is he doing here and why are people disappearing?”

“Sit down and see for yourself.” Kim dried her hands and settled herself back on the stool. Unable to hold back a yawn, she stretched her arms over her head and waited for Jackie to assimilate what she was seeing.

 Jackie lowered herself to a stool and peered at the partly dissected body, then back at Kim. “They’re reptiles.” Jackie tried to absorb that for a minute before giving up. “So the Martians look like Godzilla. That doesn’t answer why people are disappearing.” She was very careful to avoid looking at Philip.

 “With what Philip has been able to tell me and what I’ve uncovered on my own, we think the manufactured chemical is a ploy to cover the theft of water. The scientific conspiracy is their attempt to keep their physiology secret. We think people are being taken...for food.” Kim paused when she saw Jackie’s eyes widen. “Can’t prove it, of course, but Diana is using terrorist techniques against her own people whenever anyone questions the truth of their mission here. Philip told me about a massive propaganda effort on Sirius to make us out to be cattle. Anyone who argues otherwise has been effectively silenced.”

“And him?” Jackie persisted, pointing at the Visitor sitting across from her.

“He’s helping me.”

“I see. And how did you two happen upon each other?” Jackie’s tone indicated she didn’t quite believe he volunteered for this.

Kim smiled reassuringly at him. “They took Andrew from school. I decided it was time to go underground to work. Couple days later, a few soldiers came looking for me. Philip decided it was in his own best interests to stay.”

Jackie looked at Kim, obviously not liking what she was hearing, or the fact that Philip was there.

“I trust him,” Kim tried to reassure her.

“Wonderful,” Jackie replied in a flip tone. She maintained her tense posture, ready to react to the slightest provocation. “I feel much better now. My sister Julie is missing, Andrew and Justin are missing, and now I find out I should have majored in herpetology. But that’s okay, because you trust him!”

Kim tried to steer the discussion away from Philip. “We need to organize a rebellion.”

“I know a place we can go and set up a base of operations. Now you can quit playing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Frankenstein and we can get started.”

“What place did you have in mind?” Kim impulsively decided not to tell Jackie what her own plans were.

“Tucson, Arizona. I know someone there who has connections we can use. I left Jeremy next door. Judy agreed to keep him with her; he’s too young for this and I won’t risk him being taken like his brother was.” Jackie pulled a few worn papers out of her jacket pocket and spread them out on an available table. “Deidre already has begun rounding up support; her husband is ex-CIA.”

Kim’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the CIA. “Friend of Ham’s?”

“How the hell should I know? We can use him. This is what he’s worked out so far.”

Kim gestured Philip over to see what had been planned. She should never have asked about Ham Tyler. What had made her think Jackie would know who Ham’s friends were? Jackie hadn’t had any contact with him for over a decade. For all they knew, he was retired from the CIA or even dead. Strange, how she felt like she knew a man she had never met. Realizing her attention was drifting, she made an effort to pay attention to what Jackie was saying.

“We’re going to try to keep the Phoenix mothership under pressure. If we can make Phoenix into a trouble zone, that should get L.A. out of the limelight. If we can get the high command divided up, maybe we can wipe them out one by one and wreak havoc with their long-term plans. Meanwhile, you and a few other scientists can work on a permanent way to get rid of them for good.” Jackie paused when she realized that, while Kim was listening politely, they weren’t ‘connecting’. “What’s wrong, Kim?”

“Nothing. I think it may work. Any resistance is better than no resistance,” Kim hedged.

Jackie got up and started to pace.

“Jackie.... I’m not saying it’s a bad plan.”

Jackie’s eyes fell on a list Kim had tacked up on the wall over the computer. “Voice, food,” she read. Curious, she leaned closer. “Skin, contacts, human disguise over Sirian, body heat, language, tongue, venom.....” Jackie turned around, somewhat shaken. “Are you out of your mind? Kim! You CAN’T be planning on something that crazy!”

“Jackie....”

“It’s suicide.”

“I’m going up to the ship.”

“Then I am, too.”

“You just said it was suicide.”

“So is going to Arizona by myself. I’ll take my chances on the ship.”

“Jackie, you’re not going with me. I’m willing to risk myself, not you. I’m going _alone_.”

“You’re not going, period.”

“Jackie, be reasonable. We need help from the inside.”

“Be reasonable? _Reasonable?_ This is coming from the same person who thinks paying Diana a social call is a great idea! How can you reason with a person who has lost her mind?”

“With a well-aimed gun. If I can get close enough, Diana will be a memory.”

“So will you.”

“There’s nothing here for me now.”

“Great. Not only am I unreasonable but I’m also a figment of my own imagination.”

“You know what I mean. I’ve had it with all of this. I want to make a difference. This is something that I can do. I’ve already decided.”

“So have I.”

Kim sighed and took another tack. “I’m not sure it’s the best use of your talents. You’re a fighter, Jackie. You can’t stand leaving even an innocent comment alone. How are you going to feel having to listen and bide your time? I know you can do it if you have to, but I’ll have an easier time keeping my mouth shut than you will.” Kim paused and ran her fingers through her hair. “Frankly, I’d feel a lot better up there if I knew that there were someone like you down here.”

“Then let’s do it,” Jackie said.

“We have to get a uniform for you.”

“Whoa. I meant you do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, damnit! Quit cross-examining me! Now, is there anything you’d like to tell me before I go?”


	3. Partners

Kim looked up from her workbench to see the clock. 11:30 glared at her in bright red digital numbers. She sighed in exhaustion and closed her eyes while rubbing the muscles in her neck in a futile effort to unknot them.

“What are you doing? You have been playing with that for days,” Philip asked, rounding the corner, firmly holding two struggling mice. While he watched her, it occurred to him that he was enjoying his forced vacation. But still, there was an undercurrent of prejudice against the inferior human race.

“I’m fixing my voice,” Kim answered without opening her eyes. She kept rubbing her neck.

“How?” he asked before swallowing the mice.

“Come here, I’ll show you.” She roused herself from her stupor and set aside her tools while he moved up behind her and started kneading the muscles in her aching shoulders. It was the first time he had touched her of his own volition and Kim tried to cover her surprise. “Mmmmm...that feels good. Your voice has an extra reverberation mine doesn’t have. From what I have figured out, you have a multiple vocal apparatus that I don’t. I’m trying to compensate by using this unit to magnify the signals from my nerves and make my vocal cords act like yours,” she explained, and pointed to a spot on the tiny device she had rigged.

“I’d also like to get this switch to work. If I can, I’ll be able to shut the device off. That may prove useful someday. But right now, I can’t get _any_ of it to work.” She made an adjustment and tried it again. The nearby computer displayed the results on the screen and bleeped in a signal. “That’s it!”

Philip dropped his hands as she suddenly became animated. She quickly disconnected the device that was no larger than a watch battery and dipped it in warm wax to set the controls. After she adjusted two other devices, she coated them too. Satisfied, she began to gather up her tools.

“Do you think it will work?” He sat down on a nearby stool and watched her.

“Theoretically, yes, at least as far as I can tell. For real? I don’t know. I just hope I don’t lose my voice altogether. And there’s a real good chance of that happening.”

“But you’re willing to take that chance,” Philip observed. It was difficult for him to believe that she was risking so much for her brother.

“Family means everything to me. I can’t imagine growing up without that security.”

“It’s not too tough.”

“Is that the voice of experience?” Kim turned to him curiously. “Don’t you have families?”

“Not like you seem to. At home, it’s more complicated and based on genetics.”

“What’s the social structure then?”

“We have three or so basic classes like you do, but its based on offspring, not money.”

“But if crosses are based on genetics, who decides what the crosses will be?”

“There is a clinic that handles all of that. We just get notified when we’re to report. Social status is based on the results. If the offspring are deformed two consecutive times, then those people are never called to the clinic again and are granted recreational pairings only.”

“What happens to those children?”

“They are terminated.”

Kim paused a minute before pushing aside thoughts of ethnocentrism. He was just telling her what it was like, she reminded herself. “Those people comprise the lower class?”

Philip nodded and continued, “If the offspring are normal, then the parents assume responsibility for them and raise them much like you do here...but there is no emotional involvement. Supervisors make sure the children progress, but that’s it.”

“How many children do they usually have?” This was a strange way of doing things! Yet, it was so fascinating! Here was a culture that facilitated evolution instead of halting it in its tracks.

“It depends on what the officials at the clinic decide. Usually one or two. If the children are exceptional and show above-average ability, then they are raised in special institutions and the parents have no responsibility for their upbringing. They are the ones summoned to the clinic on a regular basis-- it’s a real honor.

“Oh, one more thing I just thought of. You’d better know never to refuse sex with a commanding officer- it just isn’t done. And if you cooperate, you’ll have a chance for promotions. That may help you get enough authority to have your brother revived.”

“I see,” Kim said in an odd tone.

Even with his limited experience with humans, Philip recognized that something was bothering her. She picked up the photo of Andrew that was on her worktable and looked at it. He noticed that her eyes were focused instead on a distant memory. Flashes of her silent battle crossed her face, only to be replaced with resignation. She put the picture down and finished cleaning up.

“Everyone on the ship has gone through this reproduction system?” She spoke so softly that he had to strain to hear her.

“Of course. But what...” He stopped abruptly when she sank slowly to the floor, leaned against the cupboards, and buried her face in her hands. What was the use of even trying to fight? She had been naive to think she could save the world.

Concerned, Philip knelt beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he saw that her eyes were unusually wet.

“I can’t do this. I’ll never be able to fool them.”

“Yes, you can,” Philip said with a vehemence that surprised both of them. “I’ve watched you.”

Kim looked away. “You don’t understand. Different culture here. I’ve never...” she stopped, unable to finish.

But Philip immediately understood. Though his knowledge was limited, he remembered hearing gossip-- and jokes-- about some of the more common customs. “Never?”

She shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze. “They’ll know. You can’t fake experience. I won’t last a day up there.”

“Yes, you will.” A hopeless look was in her eyes when she looked back at him. “I can show you.”

“You’d do that?”

Philip nodded. He had to help her. How could he refuse to help someone who was fighting back against such a terrible plan? How bad could it be? He would put his personal preferences aside to help her.

“Now?” she whispered faintly.

“If you want.”

Kim looked away and nodded.

Philip stood up and pulled her to her feet. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

Kim nodded mutely and went into the bedroom. She turned out the lights and pushed the door closed, finding comfort in the relative darkness. Methodically she removed her clothes, slipped into the bed, and lay there waiting for him.

She heard him shut one of the cages and assumed he was getting something else to eat. Her own stomach rumbled in hunger but threatened retaliation if she ate. Her thoughts turned, as they always did in the evening, to Marc. Tears welled up in her eyes and she sobbed quietly into her pillow.

In the lab, Philip debated with himself on how he should handle the situation. It was clear to him that Kim didn’t want to do this. He decided to just, as the humans would say, “wing it.”

He undressed and got into bed beside her. Her back was towards him. When he touched her, she jumped. “What’s wrong?” She was actually shaking.

When Kim rolled onto her back to look at him, he saw that her face was wet. “I’m scared,” she admitted.

“Why? I’m not going to hurt you.”

She smiled at him ruefully, deciding not to disillusion him on that item. “It’s just difficult for me. I’ll be okay.” She paused before continuing. “Will you do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Just hold me for a little while?” Her eyes pleaded with him.

“Sure.”

She curled up next to him and put her head on his chest. He put his arm around her and started to rub her back. Almost immediately, she seemed to relax a little.

Lying there with him, Kim thought about how long it had been since anyone had touched her...held her. It made her realize just how important physical contact was to humans. Was it as important to Philip’s people?

“I’m sorry,” he said gently.

“It’s not your fault. Besides, I _like_ you and that makes it easier for me.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“Say what?”

“I know what you must really think.”

“No, you’re wrong. I like you a lot, Philip. It’s not you; it’s me.” She tried to reassure him. They lay there for several minutes without speaking.

Gradually, her tension faded. Philip propped himself up on an elbow and looked at her. She lay there expectantly, but her fear was very present. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I want my brother back.”

“If you change your mind...”

“Thanks, but I won’t.”

“You really must care about him.”

“Yes. I would die to save him.”

“Just because he’s your brother?”

“No, just because I love him.”

“I envy him.” He put his hand on her abdomen and felt her muscles tense. “You act like no one’s ever touched you before.”

“Not like this. I’m sorry,” Kim apologized. She covered his hand with her own, trying to reassure him that she didn’t intend to recoil at his very touch. In some corner of her brain, it finally registered that the hand she held was not a human hand. It didn’t even feel human. In fact...come to think of it...he had removed the synthetic flesh a couple of days ago, she just hadn’t noticed. How quickly perspectives could change!

“It’s okay. Roll over,” he instructed her.

“Hmmm?” The sudden change of tactics surprised her.

“Lie on your stomach,” he said. Still she hesitated. “Trust me.”

“Okay,” she whispered, complying.

Philip knelt over her back and started massaging her shoulders. In the back of his mind, another subject demanded his attention. He had always assumed their relationship to be one of mutual fascination. But when she claimed to be attracted to him, those assumptions crumbled. He saw past events in a new light. Never had she hesitated to touch his own scaled flesh. Upon discovering his true nature, she had hardly blinked an eye. Kim had been the one who insisted he eat that first day...fully aware of his eating habits. It had been _her_ idea for him to leave his contacts out when his eyes became irritated by the human-looking lenses. She really _wasn’t_ revolted by _him_...only by what they were doing. With that realization, his attitude towards her changed profoundly. Once he had thought of her as someone to be feared, not only because of inherent inferiority of her race to his, but because of her impulsive, even reckless nature. She absolutely refused to think that she might not succeed in saving her brother. But by refusing to accept anything as impossible, she was accomplishing exactly what she said she would.

With a shudder, Philip realized that she was his equal, maybe even his superior. Could he ever do what she was attempting? Probably not, even if he had the assistance of an entire scientific staff. He would have allowed his thinking to limit his actions. Working with equipment that was charming in its simplicity, she was doing the impossible. From her, he had learned more about his own physiology than he had ever imagined existed. After only days, he knew her better than he had known anyone, and he had told her details of his life he had told no other person. Kim probably didn’t know what his former attitude towards her had been, Philip realized. He had always been congenial on the surface; living in close proximity demanded cooperation. Now, that congeniality came from the very core of his being. The truth was, he was becoming quite fond of this human. What was happening to him?

Gradually, the tension he had sensed receded and she began to relax again. He stretched out over her and lowered his body so he was resting on top of her, his knees and forearms bearing the majority of his weight.

“What...” she questioned, becoming fearful again.

“Shhh. Trust me,” Philip told her softly. He brushed his lips across her shoulder and flicked his tongue lightly against her smooth skin.

Kim lay perfectly still beneath him. She was too anxious and uncertain to move a muscle. The warmth of her body radiated back from his flesh as he lay on top of her. Shivers rippled up and down her spine as he caressed her and she felt her own response. Suddenly, her point-of-view changed and she felt detached from her body. Robot-like, she obeyed his unspoken directives. As her mind slipped into oblivion, she realized he was murmuring something to her. She answered and did what he requested without ever knowing what was asked; then she felt nothing at all.

Philip waited as long as he could, preparing her for the inevitable. He paused once to look at her. Her eyes were closed and her fists were clenched as she fought her own impulse to flee. He asked her if she wanted him to stop, but she shook her head no, so he continued.

*****

When Kim regained her sense of self, he was lying quietly on top of her, stroking her hair. When she opened her eyes, he bent his head down and nuzzled her again before moving to lie beside her.

The next thing she knew, she was sobbing in his arms.

“Are you okay?” Philip felt new emotions stirring within him. He had never dreamed it would be this difficult for her.

“I will be,” she managed to say between sobs. Eventually, her turbulent emotions quieted and she became aware of his gentle efforts to comfort her. “I don’t think you’ve ever told me your name.”

“Philip.”

“No, I mean your real name.” Her voice was strong and clear. Any remaining turmoil was now hidden from him. So soon!

“Juani’dixca.”

“Juanidixca,” she repeated, trying it out. “I like that. It’s strong yet gentle. Say it again.”

“Juani’dixca. Put a stronger accent on the second syllable.”

“Juanidixca. That’s still not right, but I think it’s as close as I’m going to get right now. I guess you’re stuck with Philip.”

“I don’t mind.” His fingers toyed with a lock of her brown tresses. Such a strange feature...yet so appealing.

Kim desperately needed to get the conversation back to more neutral territory and regain her composure. She asked the first question that came to mind. “What was it like growing up? Didn’t you get close to anyone?”

“Oh, I had friends, but once we were recruited, everyone got jealous of rank.”

“Is everyone in the military?”

“No. Only those of us who were recruited for it. Others were recruited into other fields- like science or education.”

“So you can’t choose what you want to do? What if someone in education wants to be in the military?”

“If you can gain enough influence, you can sometimes switch, but that usually doesn’t happen. Diana managed it though. In fact, she was transferred almost immediately after she was assigned to ecological studies.”

“Who decides where you will go?”

“Our supervisors, the instructors.”

“Do the same social strata apply to people in the military? There aren’t children on the ships, are there?”

“No, in the military, only high-ranking officers are called to the clinic. The rest of us don’t have to go. Rank replaces the classes the civilians have.”

“What about the parents who have to raise their own offspring? Do they have to have monogamous relationships?”

“No. They are only obligated to each other when it comes to reproduction...they go to the clinic, too. All of the females get annual injections so there are no unplanned offspring produced.”

“So you don’t really have any stability in relationships. Doesn’t it bother you that no one cares about you as an individual?”

“Sometimes, but not usually.”

“Well, I care.” Impulsively she stretched up to kiss him, then lay with her head on his shoulder. In a few minutes, she was asleep.

Philip was as startled by her sudden affection as he was by his own response to it. The urge to comfort and protect her was simply overwhelming...she was so vulnerable. Yet, she had displayed incredible strength of will on numerous occasions; her determination was unparalleled. Somehow, that only made her grief all the more heartrending.

*****

Kim slept late into the morning without waking. She was surprised to find herself in his bed until she remembered the events of the night before. She got up quickly, trying to flee the memory, but when she reached the bathroom and turned on the light, she paused to look at him. He was sleeping peacefully on his side and the expression on his face was almost angelic. While she watched, he rolled over and she could see the powerful muscles ripple under the false skin. Her body remembered those same muscles comforting her the night before and Kim felt her heart beating faster. What was happening to her? She shook off the feeling and took a shower.

*****

Feeling refreshed, she dressed in a comfortable sweat suit and injected her neck with Novocain. While she waited for it to work, she braided her hair back. She knew that it was going to be several days before she felt like taking another shower. It was almost a relief that Philip was still sleeping; if he watched, she didn’t know if she would be able to go through with it.

There’s no turning back now, she thought as she picked up a scalpel....

*****

She was just starting to sew up the incision on her neck when Philip got up. Tiny stitch after tiny stitch laced the edges of her broken skin back together over the tiny device that now resided on her vocal cords. He watched in horrified fascination; even to his inexperienced eye, she looked dangerously pale.

Kim seemed to be in her own world as she bandaged her wounds and hooked up the I.V. to her arm. Dazed, she stood up and fainted from the effort. Philip caught her before she fell and picked her up in his arms. She regained consciousness as he was easing her down onto his bed. She looked at him with a surprised expression.

“You’re sleeping in here. It’s more comfortable,” he told her as he gently pulled the covers up over her. Almost immediately, she fell asleep. He thought about lying down next to her, but he was afraid to jar the bed and hurt her. He settled for pulling both of the reading chairs over to the bed and stretching out in them. That way he could be nearby to help her if she needed anything.

For Kim, time held no meaning. Every time she roused, Philip was still sitting at the foot of the bed reading or sleeping. The slightest movement wakened him and he would jump up to see what she needed. If he minded helping her to the bathroom or fetching another I.V. bag, he never let her see it. The only way she even knew time passed at all was by the chart where she recorded when she had last had medication for pain.

At first, her drugged brain didn’t care if she lived or died. But, as time went on and she no longer needed the mind-numbing painkillers left over from Andrew’s wisdom tooth removal, she began to care about the world around her. A few days (she wasn’t sure how many) after her self-performed surgery, she wakened to find Philip watching her contemplatively. Concerned for his welfare, she gestured for him to lie down beside her.

“No, I’m fine. Go back to sleep,” he said, shaking his head.

Kim glared at him and beckoned him closer.

He sat down beside her, suddenly concerned. “What?”

Once again, she indicated he should lie down and she pulled on his arm to try to force him to comply.

“You’re stubborn,” Philip told her as he gave in to her and stretched out on the bed, savoring her warmth.

She squeezed his hand once, then went back to sleep.

Kim woke later and made her way to the bathroom. She removed the I.V. and took off the bandages, examining her neck. The incision had healed nicely and looked better than she had thought it would. Cautiously, she drank a few sips of water and smiled at her haggard reflection. For better or worse, she was on her way.

It concerned her that her recovery had taken so long. It was minor surgery, really. There had been no reason to almost pass out, or take days to recover. Thankfully, she’d had the foresight to prepare I.V. solutions so she didn’t dehydrate. She looked at her reflection more critically. The way she had pushed herself ever since Andrew disappeared had taken a toll. And even before that, she’d kept odd hours, trying to learn more about the Visitors.

Resolving to take better care of herself, she took a shower, then dressed in a loose shirt and sweat pants before going back out to the lab to get something to drink that had more nutritional value than water. She settled for fruit juice and realized she was wearing down again. Her recovery was going to take time.

She ran into Philip on her way back into the bedroom. He caught her by the shoulders before they collided. “You took the bandages off,” he noticed. “How do you feel?”

Kim nodded silently. It was going to be a few more days before she could be sure her throat had completely healed and she could see if her device worked. She reached for the buttons of his shirt and looked up at him. He had finally stopped wearing his uniform and now wore a pair of sweat pants and one of her shirts. Though oversized and roomy on her, they fit him perfectly. He had even started to go barefoot, following her example. All of that ran through her mind while she tried to ignore the real reason she was undressing him.

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” he inquired, not pretending to misunderstand what she wanted.

Kim nodded and turned out the lights. He moved closer and reached behind her to loosen her braid. “Let me do it,” he told her when she started to help him.

She turned her attention back to his clothing and tried to ignore him as he ran his fingers through her hair.

When he bent to kiss her, she ducked so his lips landed on her forehead. Philip knew she couldn’t see in the darkened room; she must have sensed his intent. He touched her cheek. “I know your throat is still sore; don’t worry,” he reassured her.

Slowly, so he could gauge her reaction, he began to unbutton her shirt. She stood still, neither encouraging nor stopping him, and he knew that she trusted him completely.

When he took her shirt off he felt her shiver. “Cold?”

Kim nodded. She didn’t want to admit, even to herself, that her goose bumps had less to do with the temperature than with her emotions. Why did he move her so? She had tried to keep an analytical perspective on their relationship, but she was realizing it was a futile effort. She was falling for him and falling hard.

*****

She woke up several hours later and found Philip’s arms still around her. When she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay?”

Kim smiled weakly at him and closed her eyes.

“Sorry, but I have to move,” he apologized as he pulled his arm out from under her. Kim snuggled against him and drifted back to sleep.

An hour later, he finally got up. It looked like she was going to sleep all day. He got something to eat and prowled around the lab, looking for something to do. He noticed her list of goals and remembered that she had planned on learning his language. If she was to gain a real command of basic syntax, he would have to start teaching her.

He searched through the cabinets and drawers and found some paper and pencils and wrote out the alphabet. It had been a long time since he had written anything by hand. Not since he was a child back on Sirius. His father had showed him the primitive writing instruments and made him learn how to write neatly and legibly. Other kids had laughed when they found him practicing. But his father had insisted, saying that he should never cast aside old ways entirely and that technology was never to be taken for granted. They’d all had to learn the skill to some degree when training to come to Earth so as to be prepared to deal with the primitive human cultures. While his shipmates had struggled, Philip had found it easy. He finally appreciated his father’s wisdom, recognizing at last that the old ways had their value, too.

When Kim got up, it was early evening. She ventured out into the lab and saw him busily writing. She opened a can of chicken broth and started it heating in the microwave before going to see what he was doing.

Philip looked up when she neared him. “Feeling better?”

Kim nodded, then glanced at the papers he had written on.

“Are you wondering what I’m doing?” She nodded again. “You said you wanted to learn our language, so I started writing out the alphabet and basic vocabulary.”

Kim picked up the pages and looked at them. No way!

“Don’t let it scare you,” he reassured her when he saw her expression. “I think you’ll find it more consistent than English.”

The microwave beeped and she got her soup. Seating herself on the cot, she flicked on the TV. Kristine Walsh, the official “Visitor spokesperson,” was spouting the latest propaganda lies. Kim was about to turn it off when Kristine mentioned a robbery at a local hospital- scientists had been caught stealing medical equipment. Unfortunately, they had escaped capture.

Kim perked up when she saw the report. She went to where Philip was writing and borrowed his pencil. “I think we found our rebels,” she wrote.

“How do you know it’s not just another propaganda lie?”

“I don’t know for sure. But they mentioned a very specific incident rather than a general accusation against scientists. They’ve never named a place, time, _and_ event in any of the previous reports I’ve seen. Maybe it is madeup, but I doubt it. People who were there at the time would know it was a lie.”

“That’s a good point. I hope you’re right.”

“Me, too,” she hastily scrawled and underlined for emphasis. She sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall, sipping at her broth.

“What is that? It smells good.”

She smiled at him and pointed to the paper and pencil she had just used. He handed them to her and waited.

“Chicken broth,” she wrote. “Chicken is a bird we eat. Then we boil the bones- it flavors the water- and we drink it. Go ahead and try some if you want. Just be careful, it’s hot!”

Philip considered, then cautiously tasted the liquid. “Not bad,” he said and handed the mug back to her to finish.

Kim downed the rest of the liquid and forced herself to her feet. It was time to get back to work.

*****

Within half an hour, the fatigue was upon her again. Frustrated, Kim put on a nightgown and pulled back the covers on the cot.

“Wait a minute, you’re not sleeping _there,_ are you?”

Kim glanced his way and nodded.

“Why don’t you sleep in the other bed with me? I don’t mind.”

Kim shook her head and got into bed, but Philip wouldn’t give up. He walked over to the cot and picked her up, ignoring her glare. “This isn’t much better than the floor and we both know it,” he said as he carried her into the bedroom. “Don’t be difficult. You have to take care of yourself.” He could see that she still wasn’t convinced. “Look, if you want, I’ll sleep out there,” Philip offered as he sat her down on the queen-size bed.

Kim shook her head vehemently at that idea. She felt guilty enough holding him prisoner, no need to make him miserable, too.

“Then it’s settled.” Philip smiled at her. “I can be stubborn, too.”

*****

Less than two weeks after she removed the stitches, Kim felt she was ready to try talking again. She spoke her first words when she was in the shower. “Testing one, two,” Kim said, then giggled, feeling very silly. “That’s creative,” she added before it really hit her- it worked! “It worked!” she said aloud, her voice obediently reverberating.

Kim could hardly contain herself long enough to get rinsed off and dressed. Her clothes stuck annoyingly to her wet skin as she pulled them on. Maybe drying off would have saved time in the long run, she observed. Philip was over by the cages, removing a rat. He glanced at her and noticed her smile. “What are you so happy about?” he inquired, not really expecting an answer.

“It worked!” she replied, grinning. Philip’s jaw dropped when he heard her voice reverberate. “It really worked!” Impulsively, she hugged him and he whirled her around, rat in hand, and set her back on her feet.

Kim blushed, suddenly self-conscious. Here she was, dripping wet, embracing an alien she didn’t even know that well. Philip pulled away abruptly. “You’re all wet,” he said, in a feeble attempt to cover the sudden awkwardness.

*****

With her recovery, life fell into a predictable routine once again. She spent her days trying to duplicate the synthetic human skin that all of the Visitors wore and snatching moments in private to learn how to use her new voice. Every night, she led him to the bed. She quickly discovered that his vast experience was really a benefit. There were never any embarrassing blunders or awkward moments of confusion for her. What she appreciated even more was the fact that he never pressured her. He always waited until she made the first move and whenever he realized she was feeling uneasy, he backed off until she regained her confidence.

One evening, instead of proceeding as usual, she started to tear at his mask. Philip realized she intended to take it off and quickly pulled her hands down. She put her hand on his throat again and waited to see if he would stop her.

“Please, don’t.”

Frustrated, she sat up and leaned over him, stretching so she could turn on the light. At least physical contact didn’t bother her anymore, he thought to himself as he blinked in the sudden brightness.

“Why not?”

She certainly was direct. He looked at her and saw that she was waiting patiently for him to explain.

He opened his mouth to speak and found himself back in the conversion chamber. Several humans stood around him in a circle, laughing and pointing at his own scaled flesh. Diana handed him a human skin to wear, but he threw it down. “I refuse to be a part of this madness. What is so terrible about the truth? The humans will accept us as we are.”

Diana smiled at him with her perfect human face. “They will not. You give them too much credit. Look at their history. They enslaved thousands of their own species because of a difference in skin color. They are inferior and must be treated as such.” She spoke in soothing tones, trying to convince him.

“No, I will not.”

“Then you will suffer the consequences. You _will_ serve me, Philip. Of that you can be certain. Swear loyalty to me and I will make them go away,” she told him as the humans closed in around him. They waved their knives in his face and started to cut him apart. The pain seared through him, but he spat venom at Diana’s image. Flames leapt up around him, slowly heating his body beyond what he could tolerate.

“Embrace me, Philip. Swear your loyalty.”

“Never!” he screamed and collapsed. He was going to die.

A sharp whistle snapped him back to reality. He was sitting up with Kim looking at him with concern. “I’m okay,” he reassured her, but knew that she wasn’t convinced. “I was just remembering something I had forgotten about until now.”

One eyebrow shot up, but she didn’t press him.

“Mind if I turn out the light?” he inquired. When he reached for it, his hand shook.

Kim reached for him in the dark and squeezed his hand. He was trembling! He lay down again and pulled her with him, holding her so tightly she feared he would break a rib.

He suddenly realized how hard he was holding her and relaxed his grip. “Sorry. It’s a long story, but I’ll try to explain.” Philip sighed and just held her for a moment. She seemed to sense how difficult it was for him and just waited patiently for him to continue. It was something he liked about her; she understood the value of silence.

“When the expedition was first announced to us, we were told that you weren’t intelligent and that was why we couldn’t tell you about us. Diana said there would be an outbreak of hysteria that would jeopardize our mission, so we all went along with it.

“After I found out that Diana had lied, I went to her and asked why we still had to keep up the charade, since you humans were obviously intelligent. We talked for quite a while and she said she could show me something that would change my perspective. She took me to a high-security section of the ship and led me to a conference room where she said to wait. A few minutes after she left, four guards came in and told me to come with them. The next thing I knew they were ordering me into the conversion chamber. Everything Diana and I had talked about was twisted around and used against me. There was one sequence where a group of humans were screaming and laughing and I think some had knives. I remember there being fire, but that’s all I can recall. I do know that she wiped the whole incident from my memory before she was done. I didn’t remember any of it until now. I guess it stayed in my subconscious. Maybe that’s why I didn’t question everything else she was doing...because I knew what she would do to me.”

“If you were converted, why are you helping me?”

“I wasn’t really converted. At least not completely. I think she didn’t want to take the time. One session did the job she wanted it to. She probably had someone watching me to see if I was behaving, though.”

“And you haven’t taken your mask off since then?”

“No.”

“But you never knew why.”

“Never.”

“Well, now that you understand what happened, you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“It’s not that simple,” he told her. He realized where her argument was leading and he still didn’t feel comfortable with the idea.

“I didn’t say it was simple. But, now that you remember, hasn’t it lost some of its power over you?”

“I don’t know. It just seemed so real.”

“I can tell. But you do realize that you can’t run forever, don’t you? This could turn into a war that lasts for years.”

“Intellectually, I agree. But that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Gently, she laid her hand on his throat where she had torn the pseudoskin and used her fingernails to widen the tear.

“Kim.” He started to stop her.

“It’s okay. Trust me.” She carefully cut the plastic all the way around his neck, then began to gently work it loose from his own skin. She worked slowly, but was careful never to hesitate and thus make him even more fearful.

Philip sat still and tolerated her touch, but she could tell what the effort was costing him. When she finally finished loosening the mask, he held his breath. Carefully, she slid it up over his face and pulled it off. He exhaled slowly and kept his eyes closed.

She knew he expected her to judge his appearance, so she didn’t shy away from touching his face. Kim traced the curve of his jaw with a finger, then kissed him square on the mouth as she pushed him down onto the bed. His eyes flew open and he looked at her in shock. He had braced himself for the worst and didn’t know how to react to her affection.

Her fingertips danced lightly across his forehead and he lay perfectly still. She smiled at him and let him stare. It was several moments before he regained enough composure to speak. “You don’t have to pretend.”

“Who’s pretending? I’ve never been less than honest with you.”

“I know that. Perhaps that’s the wrong word. You don’t have to be polite.”

“You idiot,” Kim chided him gently, “Why do you think it is so impossible for me to like the way you look?”

Philip considered the implications of what she was saying. He had been correct when he told Diana that humans could accept the truth. Or was Kimberly an exception? “You’re incredible.”

“No.” Kim shook her head.

“I mean it.” He lifted her chin so she couldn’t look away and she kissed him again with a passion she had never shown him before. Philip gave in to her and realized that he never had to hide from her again.

*****

The next morning, Kim started peeling more of the false skin away.

“What are you doing?”

“Fast company,” Kim muttered. She persisted in spite of his light protests and got all of it off of him. She met his gaze, unable to mask her smugness.

Philip shook his head silently in wonder, but Kim cut into his thoughts when she leaned down and kissed him. He responded, but groped for the light. It turned into a game, with Kim trying to distract him so much he would give up on the light. When he finally found the switch and turned it out, she giggled. For once, she had the upper hand.

*****

With several failures and false starts, she duplicated the formula used to make the synthetic human pseudoskin. To save time, she planned to repair the body suit of the dead female. She realized that she could always change faces later. It took time...the one thing she didn’t have.

She also began to learn Philip’s language. Every spare minute was devoted to drilling vocabulary and pronunciations to ensure that she could competently handle any awkward situations that could arise. She spent so much of her day talking, she lost her voice and had to keep silent for a few days. Realizing they were pushing too hard, they began to relax the pace slightly and just enjoy each other’s company.

*****

She held herself together emotionally until Andy’s 16th birthday. Then something broke inside her and all of the fear and grief came gushing out. She put a tape of his last birthday into the VCR and sat down on the cot in the lab. She needed to hear his voice and remember. She couldn’t concentrate...it hadn’t taken long to figure that out. Every time she started to do something, her vision blurred and the lump in her throat reminded her that today was not an ordinary day.

It was the week before Marc died. Judy and Becky were already there. Jackie was finishing up her tour. She had one more concert, but she had left Andy’s birthday open. Kim had set the camcorder on the tripod and let it run. She watched herself greet Jackie.

“Kim!” Jackie gave her a hug. “Where’s the birthday boy?” Jackie embraced Andrew and handed him a box. “Happy birthday, kiddo. Hi, Marc.” Jackie hugged him, too. “Hello, Judy, Becky. I didn’t see you sitting back there.”

Andy looked at Jackie quizzically. “What are you doing here? You’re on tour!”

“You think I’d miss your birthday? I have to fly out to our next city tomorrow morning...we’re doing our last concert tomorrow night. But, I wouldn’t dream of not being here.” Jackie turned back to Kim and Marc, who were standing together. “So, you two, is the wedding still on?”

Kim looked at Marc with adoration in her eyes, then back at Jackie. “Guess so.”

Jackie laughed.

“You guess so?” Marc asked in mock outrage.

“Uh huh,” Kim said and kissed him.

“Okay, okay, break it up. Save it for the honeymoon!” Judy scolded them. They stopped kissing but kept their arms around each other.

“Give it up, Mom. She’s in love,” Becky said from the couch. Marc cleared his throat warningly and Becky laughed. “They’re in love,” she corrected herself.

“Thank you,” Marc said.

“When are we eating?” Jackie asked.

“As soon as certain persons take the food outside,” Andrew hinted.

“Okay, okay, let’s move this crew outside. Grant and Alexis are out there with Eric already.” Kim pulled away from Marc and led the way. Marc put his arm around Andrew and walked after Kim.

Kimberly stopped the tape, freezing the image of Marc and Andrew on the screen. She couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She was so worried about Jackie...where was she? Shutting off the tape, she cried into her pillow. When she was more under control, she brushed at her tears and noticed her engagement ring. It was time to move on.

Quickly, she removed it and put it on the gold chain necklace Marc had given her for her birthday, then started to hang it around her neck. Stopping, instead she decided to put it away. If she didn’t let go now, she never would. Going over to one of the sinks, she splashed cold water on her face. Then, to calm herself, she tried to work and bury the thoughts that threatened her fragile composure. She didn’t want Philip to come out and see her so upset.

Kim worked for only a few minutes before she had to stop again. She couldn’t go on like this. It occurred to her that she had always kept a journal. She hadn’t done that since Andy was taken. Her journal was upstairs, but didn’t she have a notebook down here? Kim searched frantically through the drawers. Yes! She flopped down on the cot and started to write.

_I’m losing my perspective on the situation. I guess it’s to be expected when I’m with him 24 hours a day. I’ve gotten in the habit of thinking of Philip as my friend. I do like him a lot. He and I don’t have very much in common...no great surprise there...but we get along all right. I just miss having someone around who is my intellectual equal. Not to say that Philip isn’t smart: he’s about average human intelligence, it’s just that I miss having someone understand me and my own hyperactive mind. Modesty has its place, but I have to be honest with myself and admit that I am much more intelligent than most of my peers. I miss Jackie. I guess that’s what I’m getting at._

_Damnit, where are you? I need you here. I need you to be strong for me and tell me that everything is going to be okay. I’m so tired of fighting back tears and pushing aside painful memories of Marc... and Andy._

_I’m afraid that I will never see him again. I can’t shake the terrible foreboding I feel every time I think of him. I’m still having nightmares, though it is better since I started sleeping in Philip’s bed every night. Calm yourself, Jackie! It’s just the idea of Andy being held aboard that ship...have they hurt him? Does he think I don’t know where they took him? Is he frightened? I am._

_It’s a struggle to get through each day. My concentration is shot. It is absolutely incredible how my mind wanders. When I’m not worrying about Andy, I’m thinking about Philip. He hasn’t pushed me in bed, and I am thankful for that. I think he realizes how difficult all of this is for me. I really can’t complain, I guess. But, why do I think I am falling for him? I know it isn’t real. So why do I care so much?_

_I got him to take off his mask finally. Actually, I took it off...same difference, I guess. He was so surprised that I was affectionate anyway. I think I have finally convinced him that I am attracted to him. That much is true. There is something about him that draws me closer and I find myself fighting it. He finally removed the human teeth, too. Bloody uncomfortable dental appliances, from the looks of them!_

_Philip is really beginning to trust me completely. I know how difficult it was for him to let me take that disguise off of him. I could see the fear in his eyes. After what they put him through, it was to be expected. Hopefully, this will all be over soon. I just wonder. How will it end?_

Kim shut the notebook and went back to work. Somehow, analyzing her odd relationship with Philip had only muddled her thoughts, rather than clarified them.


	4. Planning

It had been a slow, frustrating process to unlock the chemical code that had created the Visitors’ human skins. Even using the dead woman’s pseudoskin wasn’t going to be enough, since it had been too damaged in some spots to recycle. Several times, she thought she was close and her heart raced with anticipation as she waited. But each attempt had ended with Kim fighting back tears of frustration. Trying to develop something that looked like their own scaled flesh, which she had considered to be only a secondary problem, was even more difficult. Despite the setbacks, she continued to work on developing fake human and Visitor skin, alternating between the two challenges as her frustration mounted.

Philip let her brood alone. He spent much of his time sitting in the bedroom reading. Occasionally he would ask her to explain portions of the text that drew on knowledge of Earth cultures, but otherwise he let her work undisturbed. It appeared to Kim that if he wasn’t thrilled with his situation, he was at least content. That knowledge didn’t banish her guilt, but it significantly reduced its weight.

Eventually, she produced a sample of...something...that looked like mottled scales. When she was satisfied, she took the sample in to Philip for him to judge.

“What do you think?” she asked as she held it out to him.

He set aside the biology book he was reading and took it from her. She stood fidgeting while he looked at it critically. Finally he nodded and handed it back. “It’s perfect. I think it will fool everyone.”

Kim let out the breath she had been holding and calmly took it from him. Victory at last. Her eyes danced as he smiled at her and picked up the book again.

Kim contained her excitement until she was in the lab again, where she literally jumped for joy. She glanced at Andy’s picture and said a silent prayer before returning to her chemicals.

The feeling of victory soon gave way to frustration again. It had been one matter to make a small piece of scaled flesh. To duplicate a face or a hand was much more difficult.

“What’s wrong?” Philip asked her when she sighed in frustration and shut her eyes.

“I can’t figure out a way to mold it to my body and get it to look right. I can’t get the texture.”

Philip sat down beside her and considered. “Have you tried pouring it over your arm and working with it as it stiffens?”

“I thought about doing that, but it’s going to hurt like hell to get it off again. That’s a last resort.”

“Why would it hurt? You just peel it off.”

“Off of your skin, maybe, but I’m covered with hair...the liquid will catch all of that and when I peel off the skin, all of the hair will go with it. Believe me, you’ll be peeling me off of the ceiling after that.”

“Is there some way you could mold it on me and make it fit you?”

Kim chewed her lip for a minute while she considered. “Well, it would take awhile and I would still have to get the texture....wait a minute. All I would have to do is turn it inside out and use it as a mold. Where has my brain been today?”

“It has been sleeping, like the rest of you should be.”

“Later; I want to see if this works. Put your arm up here.” Carefully, she poured a little bit of the solution onto the back of his hand. “I can’t believe it has taken all morning to do the obvious.”

“That’s because you’re so tired.”

Kim nodded and stared at the wall. A smile crept across her face as she thought.

“What?”

“I was just thinking...the kidnapper and kidnappee are getting to be very good friends. This isn’t what I expected would happen. Not at all.”

“It isn’t what I expected either. You scared me at first,” Philip admitted.

“I wasn’t too sure about you either. You could have killed me easily.”

“You did take a big risk when you announced your presence here. I was ready to leave. I never would have thought you were down here.”

“It was pretty reckless of me. I’m glad it worked out like it did. And pretty soon, we’ll be able to get out of here. Is that dry yet?” She leaned over and carefully peeled the fake skin away. When she turned it over, it was a mirror image of his skin. The coloring wasn’t the same as his, but he had already assured her that there was enough variation between individuals for her skin to look normal. “It’s too thin, but I can fix that easily.” And maybe, just maybe, she could adapt the formula to produce human-looking flesh....

“Problem solved,” he said and smiled at her. “Now why don’t you stop for today and just relax? Get some sleep.”

“Sleep? I’ve forgotten what that is,” Kim said and yawned. She put a movie into the VCR and flopped down on the cot to watch it. She fell asleep before the opening credits were done rolling. Philip chuckled softly and carried her into the bedroom so she would be more comfortable.

*****

The next evening she finally woke up. She came into the lab looking slightly disoriented. “Did you carry me in to bed?”

Philip nodded and smiled at her. “You still look tired.”

“I am. How long did I sleep?”

He looked at the clock. “About seventeen hours.”

“Seventeen hours?!” she repeated in shock. “That’s impossible. I’ve never in my life slept that long.”

“Until now. Well, I’m going to bed. Do yourself a favor. Don’t stay up all night working.”

“I won’t.” Kim sat down and looked at the half-finished disguise. Somehow, she couldn’t face struggling with it. Once that was decided, she got something to eat and watched TV for awhile. It wasn’t long before she was fighting to keep her eyes open. Oh well. She went into the bedroom and began to undress in the dark.

“I’m still awake. Turn on the light if you need it.”

“That’s okay,” she said and got into bed beside him.

“Tell me about Marc.”

“About Marc? Why?” she asked in surprise.

“I’m curious. The last few nights you have been saying his name in your sleep. You always sound so panicked.”

Kim rolled onto her back and sighed. “I thought I was past dreaming about him.”

“You haven’t said anything until recently.”

“Because I took off my ring.”

“Why would that make you dream about him?”

“He gave it to me when he asked me to marry him. I finally took it off. I’ve been trying to put him in the past. It’s just really hard to let go.”

“What exactly happened?”

“Driving home from work one evening, his car was hit by someone else who was driving while intoxicated with alcohol. Marc’s neck was broken and he was totally paralyzed from the neck down.

“I stayed with him every second,” Kim told Philip as he put his arm around her. “It was very difficult for me to see him so helpless and defeated. He tried to keep his spirits up. I spent many days reading to him and I even got him to play me a few games of chess. Anything to keep his mind busy. But then he got pneumonia. I think that was the final blow. He was weak to begin with, and that took all of the strength he had left. Somehow, he knew he was going to die. He tried to say good-bye, but I didn’t want to hear it. I guess a part of me hoped that if I didn’t let him say it, he wouldn’t die. I’ve felt guilty about it ever since, even though I know he realized why I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Philip wraped his arms around her and they lapsed into silence.

*****

“What is it about eating animals that bothers you so much?” he asked her later when she was working on molding the plastic around his arm so she could make her own scaly skin.

“Conditioning. I know that’s at least part of it. In some parts of the world, insects and grubs are considered a delicacy. I grew up in the wrong culture, I guess. But for me, the biggest factor is I’ve dissected too many things...I know exactly what I’m eating and frankly, the idea of chomping down on intestine just doesn’t whet my appetite. I’ll get so I can do it, but I don’t think I will ever learn to like it.” She sighed. “Guess I should have learned to like sushi in college, when I had the chance.”

She would never be able to dislocate her jaw, but he assured her that he didn’t either when eating sections of meat taken from large animals. While rodents were a staple in the Visitor diet, he thought she would be able to get enough fish and beef to keep her going. Digesting a whole mouse was out of the question, since her digestive tract was ill-equipped to cope with bones.

*****

Philip opened the closet door and looked thoughtfully at the uniforms hanging there. He stood there for several minutes, deep in thought, and shut the door again. Kim watched him pace, then return to the closet, get one of the uniforms out, and search through the pockets.

“What are you doing?” Kimberly finally asked.

“Did you find...here it is.” He showed her appeared to be a portion of microfiche. He held it up to the light. “It’s too small to read.”

“Let me see that,” Kim said. He gave it to her and she put it on the stage of a dissecting scope. She focused it and gestured for him to look. “What is it?”

“Personal identification. Everyone has them. This should tell us about the woman you found. Name, rank, security clearance code, section she worked in. With this, you can pose as her until you find someone to replace permanently. See for yourself.”

“She was with security. What’s the line after that?”

“Location of her quarters. It helps when identifying a body to take care of everything at once.”

“So what am I to do? Go around pretending to be someone that’s been missing for months?”

“Only for a couple of days. Don’t go up to the ship, though. Find someone in the storage sections that has some rank, then kill her and take her ID and mask. If you can’t find someone from storage, just take the identity of a soldier until you get onto the ship. From there, you’ll have to find someone in storage to replace.”

“Isn’t there another way? I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“You’re going to have to do some killing eventually. You said yourself that this will probably turn into a war. Find someone loyal to the Leader and get rid of her. You’d better hide the body though; it would get complicated if someone in the fleet found her.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot. If you can, try to find someone who is definitely against the Leader, preferably someone in the high command. Ask him to lay claim on you; if he agrees, tell him who you are and ask him to help you get oriented.”

“What do you mean, ‘lay claim’?”

“He would be the only one you sleep with for a little while. That way you’ll have some time to adjust.”

“Any ideas on who I could approach?”

“Not John, he is too high up. Steven and Jake are radicals. I never trusted them. Martin is beneath Diana...from him on down, you’d be all right, if you can find someone on your side and if you have at least one command stripe. Any higher than Martin, there would be suspicion because of their level of rank. I can’t tell you who is against the Leader, though.”

“Slow down. I know who John is; who are these others you’re talking about?”

“I forgot you don’t know them.” He thought for a minute. “Do you have any old news broadcasts on tape that might show them?”

“I think so.” Kim went over to the cabinet that held all of her tapes and began to look through them. “So I have to replace someone with at least one stripe on her uniform?”

“If you want to find Andrew. You’ll be in command of a unit that way; you can let them do your work until you learn what to do...and you will be able to at least enter some areas of the storage sections without being questioned.”

“What do you think my chances are of finding someone to help me?”

“Next to impossible. It’s still worth trying.”

“Here we go. This is a tape of the first news crew to go up to the mothership...and the broadcasts immediately following.” She put the tape in and started it playing. “By the way, could you give me a basic idea of the layout of the ship so I don’t wander around like a damned fool?”

Philip smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I’m glad you said that.” He rummaged for paper and a pencil.

Kim watched the television carefully. “That’s John. Diana.”

He went over to her and pointed to a figure on the screen. “Steven, he’s the supervisor of security...avoid him if you can. That looks like Martin...it’s hard to tell with the sunglasses. The others are just soldiers.”

She fast-forwarded to the next broadcast. “There! That’s Jake. He’s in charge of the shock troopers. There’s a better shot of Martin.”

“What does he do?”

“His specialty is military strategy...he’s brilliant in that field. He also helps Diana some; he’s second in command on her ship.”

“Is he a radical, too?”

“I don’t know. The Leader favored him for awhile, but then there was a scandal. From what I have seen, he fully supports Diana.”

“Two stripes,” she observed.

“Um hmm. Whatever you do, don’t go to someone of lower rank than you.”

“Why not?”

“They will be working for a promotion; they may set you up.”

“Can I come to you?”

Philip laughed. “That would be interesting! I wouldn’t even know who you were at first.”

“I must be out of my mind.” Kim looked at the screen and shook her head.

“You’ll do fine. Now, let me show you the layout of the ship.”

*****

“Do you think it’s convincing enough?” Kim asked Philip as he fitted the last seam of her disguise together and sealed it.

“Umm hmm. Hold still.”

“I’m serious. Can you feel my body heat?” she persisted.

“Kim, I’ve known you for a long time now and you almost have me fooled.” He tried to keep the longing from his voice. “I’m done.”

“I’m miserable already. I don’t know how you put up with yours for so long.” She worked her shoulders, trying to get more comfortable.

“Survival can be a strong motivation.” Looking at her, he realized how much he missed being with his own species. He kept his expression neutral when she turned to look at him.

“Nice try, but I’m not buying it.”

He looked at her innocently. “Not buying what?”

 

Afterward, they lay entwined. He had come to treasure that time of cuddling with her. He let his hand trace the curve of her back as he kissed her deeply and finally released her. Still, she pressed close, as she always had done. She was the first woman who had remained with him simply because she wanted to be held. Kimberly was different in so many ways.

“When are you leaving?” he asked her.

“In a couple days. I’ll bet you’re glad to be getting out of here.”

“I’m staying here.”

“What? I thought you wanted to go home.” She rolled over so she could see him.

“I do, but I’m not going to. I’ve known that for a long time now.”

“Why? It’s because of me, isn’t it? Because of what I’ve done.” She sat up and chewed on her lip.

“Yes and no.”

“That clarifies _everything_. Why didn’t you tell me? If you’ve known for so bloody long, why didn’t you say so while there was still a chance of doing something about it?”

“After all I have told you about my people, you still don’t know what they will do to me if I return to the ship?”

“I kidnapped you! I made you a prisoner, not a volunteer.”

“Yes, you made me a prisoner.” Philip paused and touched her scaly face, now wet from tears. “And you made me your friend.”

“But...”

He covered her lips with a finger. “Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t know and I didn’t tell you. I knew the risks when I decided to help you. I made my own choices and I don’t regret the decision I made.

“If I were to go back to the ship after being gone for all of these months, Diana would question me. She would torture me and confuse me until I told her the truth. And then she would kill me, or convert me and make me a slave to her will. When she was done, she would know all about Andrew and you. Do you know what she would do then?” Philip paused, not expecting her to answer. “She would do whatever she had to do to find you, and then she would make you watch her torture Andrew, or worse yet, make me do it. When she was done with your brother, she would turn her full attention to you. The only way you stand a chance of getting Andrew back is by never letting her know what you have done. You can’t afford to trust anyone, Kim, not even me.”

“But I do trust you,” she managed to say.

“You shouldn’t. How do you know that I won’t go to Diana the minute I leave here?”

“I know what kind of a person you are. I know that I can trust my own instincts. And my instincts tell me that you would never do anything to hurt me. So, I trust you, even though my brain argues loudly against it.”

Philip sighed. “You’re right. That is why I can’t go back to the ship. Because by doing so, I would destroy everything you worked so hard to achieve.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“For right now, I’m going to stay here. Once you have Andrew, you should get off the ship. Then maybe we can try to find other people who are hiding and get them organized. I don’t know. I’ve never been involved in planning battles.”

“And I’ve never been involved in espionage, and you’ve seen how I play chess. But I’d rather try and fail than do nothing at all. So....” Kim rolled over on her back and laced her fingers behind her head. “The only question remaining...” Her voice trailed off.

“What?”

“I just had a wicked idea. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner.” She propped herself up on her elbows. “It won’t even take more time. You can go back to the ship- as someone else. It would be a lot easier for you than for me, after all, and we could get more done that way. Are you willing?”

He thought a moment about the safe alternative, then nodded.

“Then let’s get started,” she said, getting out of bed and pulling on her uniform. He had no alternative but to do likewise.


	5. Jackie

While Kim was working with Philip, Jackie had been slowly working her way to Arizona. It had taken a lot longer than she had expected, given the high number of roadblocks and checkpoints she had to find a way around. For the most part, she had been forced to travel on foot, breaking up the hike with an occasional stolen vehicle.

One evening, as she made her way east while avoiding the heat of the day, she saw what looked like a small fire some distance from the road. Curious to see if there were other would-be rebels in its glow, she decided to take a chance and approach.

As she drew closer, she was surprised to see two Visitors huddled in the circle of light. They sensed her approach and she saw they had their lasers ready, but they didn’t make any threatening gestures.

“I didn’t expect to see anyone else out here and somehow, I doubt you expected to see me,” Jackie said with a disarming smile. The man gave his companion a wary glance, but didn’t respond until she pulled out a canteen and poured herself a cup of water. When she saw his obvious interest, she handed it over. “Help yourself.”

While he drank, Jackie looked around. “Well, I don’t see any food processing plants out here, no base, no shuttles... looks to me like you aren’t too popular. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you may have done something Diana didn’t like, and now you’re on the run.” Jackie paused and refilled the cup for the woman. “Which gives us something in common, ‘cause I intend to do plenty of things Diana doesn’t like.” She looked at the woman, who seemed to be of higher rank, if her uneducated reading of the stripes was any indication. “Interested?”

The man seemed less than enthusiastic, but willing to defer the decision. The woman nodded. “I’m Megan. He’s Drew.”

“Jackie Taylor.” She looked at her watch. “We’d better get a move on. Come morning it’s going to get hot out here. Really hot.” After standing up, she kicked sand into the fire and put it out. “The truck I had been driving finally broke down a few miles back. There’s a small town not far from here, where I planned on picking up some supplies. I think the first order of business is to get you some clothes that don’t scream ‘Shoot me!’” She grinned as she looked the two weary Visitors over. “Someone should’ve told Diana that red is the wrong color to wear when invading the USA. It always fails.” She slung her pack onto her back and adjusted the straps. “You two keep the canteen. I’ll be able to get enough water from the cacti for now. This isn’t a convenient time to find out you’re allergic to cactus juice.” Jackie struck out for the highway, so they could follow it into town. Megan fell in beside her, Drew following behind.

After walking several miles in silence, Jackie’s thoughts turned towards food. The Visitors were probably trying to figure out how to manage that little detail, not realizing Jackie was well aware of their physiology. She’d noticed an occasional rodent scurrying for cover as they walked, but had paid them no attention. Surely, the Visitors had seen them and would be able to catch them if they tried. Not that they would, she mused. At least, not in front of her. And before now, they had probably been unsure what animals were safe to eat. She opened the bag tied around her waist and counted the granola bars. If she had one now, she’d still have plenty to get her through tomorrow. Still, it didn’t exactly give her a great opening for mentioning dinner. It’s not like you could hold up a granola bar and tactfully ask someone if they had eaten any rats lately.

“When’s the last time you ate?” she finally asked Megan bluntly.

“Yesterday morning, before we had to leave the ship,” Megan answered, but became uneasy. The issue of their eating habits had been a concern, but going with the human still seemed less risky than wandering the desert alone. With their shuttle destroyed, they had to survive on their own.

“Then I’ll see if I can get you something,” she said, without explaining herself. Her mind wandered back to skills left unused for several years. Throwing a knife should be like riding a bike, right? She’d let the skill go unpracticed, but surely she could still hit a target.

Jackie unstrapped the large knife from her left leg and held it up in front of her, testing its weight and balance. Her eyes scanned the ground for a suitable target as she walked. It was just a matter of time.

She didn’t notice Megan move a half step away at the sight of the knife. Her attention was focused solely on her hunt. A rodent scurried across their line of travel, and Jackie threw her weapon. She couldn’t help but feel a bit smug as she saw the blade hit the target and kill the mouse instantly.

Nonchalantly, she retrieved both and absently wiped the blade clean on her jeans. “Well, it’s dead, but it’s fresh,” she announced, holding it out by the tail towards the Visitors, who were staring at her, looking very uncomfortable. “Hey, I’m not going to eat it. You can just relax, because I already know what you eat and what you look like. So one of you take it, and I’ll see if I can hit a few more.” When Megan finally, reluctantly, took it from her, she simply turned on her heel and kept walking.


	6. Infiltration

Philip woke to the sound of footsteps. He shook Kim gently, putting his other hand over her mouth. She opened her eyes in surprise, then understanding, as she heard the noises below them. They had come to this warehouse so they could sleep in relative safety, hidden near the rafters among stacked boxes.

“Over here, Paul,” a Visitor voice said as other footsteps approached.

“Sir,” Kim and Philip heard a second Visitor voice reply quietly.

Unable to tolerate their inability to see the meeting, Kim and Philip carefully worked their way to the edge of the stacked boxes and peered down. A uniformed officer who was standing in the shadows put his firearm away. “Have you had any success?”

“None, sir. I’m sorry,” the one who had been addressed as Paul replied. “I have frequented every bar and restaurant in this sector of the city, but I have not overheard anyone talking about a rebel effort.”

“With all the attacks that have been made on our installations, I know there are humans who are fighting back. If we could find even one group of them, we could help them. I wish I knew where to tell you to look.” The uniformed officer glanced around again, apparently on guard for unwelcome company. “How are you? Have you been suspected in any way?”

“No. I’m getting good at being a mute human, if I say so myself. I would probably have more success if I could talk with them,” Paul said, obviously frustrated.

“No, it’s too risky. You’re in enough danger as it is. Someone might claim to be with the resistance and then kill you as soon as they had the opportunity. Are you willing to stay a bit longer?”

“Sure. It’s been kinda fun, getting to know them a little. ” Paul shrugged in a very human fashion. “We’ll find them, sir. We have to. I’m certain there are humans who want to fight back.”

“There is going to be another increase in troop presence on the streets soon, and more checkpoints. Perhaps that will anger enough of them to strike out. If only there were some way to tell them some of us are on their side.” The uniformed officer seemed frustrated as he handed some currency to Paul.

“You could do what the locals do and put an ad in the newspaper,” Paul teased.

“Maybe you should come back to the ship before you become too comfortable here.”

“Their food isn’t that good, sir,” Paul replied with a smile. “Same time next week?”

“Unless Diana changes my schedule.” The one in uniform offered his hand. “Be careful, Paul. You’re no good to us dead.”

“The same is true of you, sir,” Paul replied quietly, then slipped away into the night.

After a few moments, the uniformed officer left through the other end of the building.

“I don’t believe it,” Philip said softly when it was clear they were alone. “Do you know who that was?”

“No.”

“Martin.” Philip couldn’t hide his surprise. “He’s one of the senior officers on the L.A. ship, right under Diana! He used to outrank John, then got into some sort of trouble and was demoted.”

“So he turned on them?” Kim asked.

“Could be. I’ve heard all sorts of rumors about what happened.”

“Whatever his reasons, he seems to be helping our side,” she said, then sighed. “I wish I could help Paul, but I don’t know where he should look, either.”

“Maybe he’ll get lucky. You should contact Martin once we are on the ship,” Philip said firmly. “Use your knowledge of this meeting to pressure him if you must, but get him to help you. He has enough rank and respect to avoid being questioned.”

Kim nodded in agreement. “So now all we need is to find who we want to replace.”

*****

Kim moved around the room, trying to project a confidence she did not yet feel. She had to struggle not to visibly startle each time the door opened to bring in a new human prisoner. A part of her expected to have someone come in at any moment, dump Karen’s body at her feet, and demand an explanation. The likelihood of that happening was slim, as she and Philip had stripped their victims of their masks and uniforms before dumping the bodies down a manhole. Philip had selected two security personnel for them to replace, on the assumption they would be able to observe ship activities without being required to do many technical tasks of their own. So far, Kim was finding that assumption to be correct.

Philip’s tutoring had been adequate, and he had given her a tour of some of the ship before disappearing into his own new role as a guard named Jacob. The one impression that had been hammered into her brain was how alien the Visitors really were. The lights were too dim and the temperature too warm for human comfort. The air was stale and dry, like that being re-circulated during a commercial airline flight. Walking through the corridors was like being on the set of some movie. The only difference was the ship was real. She could sense the ship’s power, though she didn’t know if what she was perceiving was a sound at the edge of her hearing or a physical vibration.

She was thankful Philip had drawn her basic outlines of the ship’s layout. Otherwise, she would have become hopelessly lost in a network of passageways. The corridors were unmarked, other than the labels on the doors. Alien characters there, for those that could read them, gave the level number, section number, and subsection designation. Everything was labeled relative to the top center of the ship, where master control was located. Shuttle bays were located on the lower-most levels, the sections numbered in a counterclockwise direction, with master control at the center of the dial, its viewport facing in direction one. Inside the circle of bays, and extending up for several levels, were the engines and storage compartments. Crew quarters were on the upper levels, with the command crew getting the best access to recreation areas and duty stations. Her own quarters were functional, small, and barren. It reminded her of a college dormitory room, except for the section of cages on the wall, where her “food” scurried and waited. Like every room she had been in, the walls and floor were in a design similar to the sterile look of the corridors. The lighting was always dim and diffused. Everything had been designed for function, leaving aesthetics out of the design formula entirely.

Kim forced herself to stop pacing as the next human was brought in for processing, a procedure she found too distressing to watch. The reality of the Visitors’ hidden motives was far worse than she had been able to imagine. Kim could only hope she survived long enough to wrestle with her feelings of guilt for participating in the outrage. Unknown to Philip when he selected the soldiers they were to replace, security personnel had been recruited to assist in the human storage procedures. The subjects were being brought in one by one, strapped down, and put into a state of suspended animation that kept them alive, but just barely. They were then loaded into liquid-filled storage pods, designed to keep the inhabitants cold and monitor their vital signs. The thought that Andrew had been put through this process frightened her. Who knew if it was a reversible procedure, or if it was just a way of keeping the meat fresh? Preserving brain function in their dinner was not a likely concern. Even if she could find Andrew, one boy among thousands, there was no way of knowing if he could be revived.

Her other duty was to screen the humans for individuals fitting profiles given to her by Diana. Apparently, Diana viewed herself as a counterpart to Josef Mengele, and conducted demented medical experiments on her unfortunate victims. Looking at the list of profiles Diana currently wanted sickened her. If she refused, she would surely be killed; if she complied, was she any better than Diana? Kim resolved to comply but make note of what Diana did, and do whatever she could to minimize suffering. Surely there were chemicals on board she could slip to a few of them, allowing them the luxury of a fast, painless death...

The stress of it all made it tempting to find Philip as soon as her shift ended, but that was far too dangerous for both of them. They had agreed to avoid fraternizing except when they had information to exchange. They were close enough in rank though, that future associations, if infrequent, would not attract attention. Only the knowledge that Andrew was there gave her the strength to maintain her role and proceed through the day. Tired as she was when she collapsed into bed, she knew the hardest part was yet to come. Unless Martin agreed to help her, her efforts would amount to nothing.

The next day passed uneventfully, and her fears of Karen being discovered began to ease. The following afternoon, though, she was alarmed when she heard a call for attention. One of her superiors come in for a spot inspection. She assisted the technician in adjusting straps on the prisoner’s hands, and then turned to see who had come, stealing herself to meet Diana in person.

"Progress report?" Martin inquired with an air of indifference.

"We are right on schedule," she announced to him, loudly enough for her staff to overhear if they wished. Staff? Kim mentally laughed at the image. Although her uniform had more stripes than anyone else’s in the room, she was the least trained of the lot. Even the lowliest trooper had gone through training on the home world. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to prolong the conversation. He looked almost bored. She stepped closer to him and drew him a few steps away from the others with a quick glance and tilt of her head. When he joined her, she quietly murmured, "I’d like to help with Paul."

"Excellent," he said, continuing their official conversation, but not without looking sharply at her. "Another shipment is due to arrive late this afternoon. You will be ready?"

"Absolutely."

"Come to my quarters at shift's end. I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

"Yes, sir."

"Carry on," he saluted and left. The doors closed behind him, sealing her fate. With a deep breath composed of equal portions of dread and relief, she returned to work.

*****

When the shift was over, she made her way quickly to Martin's quarters. Almost immediately after pressing the door chime, the doors parted for her to enter. The rapid response was disquieting, since she had counted on a few more seconds to collect her thoughts. She stepped inside and saw that he was sitting at a computer console, busily working. As she strode across the space to him, he turned away from his task and stood.

"Thank you for coming. Would you care for a snack?" he asked, indicating the cages on the wall. He selected a canary for himself and turned to her expectantly.

"No, thank you." She moved close to him and murmured urgently, "I need your help. Give me time to explain."

He considered that as he seated himself once again at the computer and swallowed the bird. After a moment he motioned her to a nearby chair. "I suppose you are wondering why I asked you here. I require your assistance. There have been rumors of a fifth column, a rebel movement, forming on this ship."

"I don’t believe it!" she said with what she hoped was a convincing amount of surprise.

"You work closely with several people who are...shall I say...prime candidates for suspicion due to the nature of their current assignment. It is possible that the workers in the storage sections have forgotten about the conditions at home. I want you to keep a close watch for any signs of a rebel movement. Any suspicious acts are to be reported directly to either myself or Diana."

"Of course," she said.

"Don't tell anyone else. I don’t want idle gossip and rumors giving people ideas."

"Agreed.” She hesitated, and plunged ahead. “Is there anything else I can do for you? I had hoped you called me here for a more...personal reason," Kim hinted strongly. She tilted her head in the manner Philip had taught her, hoping she had the flirtatious signals correct.

"Perhaps I did," he said neutrally, pushing his chair back from the console. He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest. This woman intrigued him. She knew about Paul but had made no attempt to threaten him. What did she want? Surely this was more than a simple seduction ploy!

"You don't know?" Kim stood up and moved over to him. "I'm not on duty until tomorrow morning." Feeling bold, she sat down on his lap. "Maybe by then you'll decide," she said softly and kissed him. "I'm not who you think I am. The real Karen is dead," she whispered as she let her mouth wander towards his ear.

"Who are you then?" Martin replied just as quietly, nuzzling her in response.

"A human."

"Human!" he exclaimed under his breath as he pulled away and looked at her, somehow keeping his expression carefully neutral. "I don't believe you," he murmured, his eyes narrowing as he studied her, looking for signs she was telling the truth. Her skin felt cool, her gaze was steady...

"Kiss me again and I'll prove it."

Martin pulled away as soon as he felt her warm and very human tongue. "What do you want?"

He was doing a remarkable job of keeping his face stoic, Kim thought idly, and wondered if her own expressions were as well controlled. Somehow she doubted it. Trying to exude confidence, she leaned close to him. "I need your help. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Play along." Martin gently pushed her to her feet and stood up. He picked her up easily and carried her into the bathroom. Once inside, he set her down, secured the door, and started the water flowing into the tub before turning to her. "If we talk quietly, no one will be able to hear us. The cameras and microphones are all in the other room." Martin leaned against the door, folded his arms and waited.

Kim quickly scanned the room as she seated herself on the edge of the tub, which Philip had told her was a rare accessory available only to senior officers. "To make a long story short, my brother is here. I want to try to get him out, but I don't want to put your own plans at risk– I know you’re helping the rebels. If I can't free him, I figure I can at least help you."

"You'll never last. One mistake and Diana will kill you...and me. Why should I help you, considering the risk?" Martin wondered what her hidden motives were. Was this a trap of some sort?

"I know you didn't ask for this, but I can help you, too. Think about all the things you don't know about our culture, our government, even climate and geography. I can give you the information you need, even research details that I don't know. Believe me, our libraries have a wealth of information, if you know how to access it. I've prepared for this for months. But I know I need to know more so I don't make dangerous mistakes. That's where you come in."

The fifth columnist studied her intently, weighing his options. "What happens if we can't get your brother out? What if the risk to the fifth column is too great? I won't jeopardize dozens of lives to rescue one person."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, but if it does...” Kim looked at the floor, then back at him. “I'm willing to trust your judgment. I won't try anything on my own– I promise. All I'm asking for is a chance. Will you help me?" Her gaze became very human and her eyes almost pleaded with him.

"I don't see that I have a choice. You know too much about me; my life already depends on your performance."

"Not quite. You could kill me right now, or arrange an 'accident' later."

"I'd rather not."

"Then you could send me home."

Martin looked at her ruefully and shook his head. “You'd just switch faces and come back as someone else. But you'd be without help and I'd be without the information you offer. You win." He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “Well done."

Kim raised an eyebrow.

"You out-maneuvered me. That doesn't happen often." He tilted his head slightly, regarding her in a new light. "This is going to be interesting."

"I can almost guarantee it." Kim stood up and started to remove her uniform.

"What are you doing?"

Kim looked at him questioningly. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Diana have the nasty habit of watching the crew during her off hours? And she could even be watching your quarters right now?"

Martin nodded, too busy thinking about how this would affect his plans to notice her unspoken meaning.

"If you and I walk out of here in full uniform and I leave after being here for only five minutes or so, don't you think she'll find the situation a bit odd?"

Martin just looked at her and realized she was right, then felt amazement that he could be made to forget such basic survival behaviors. He could not remember the last time he had been so dumbfounded. Liaisons such as this were hardly new to him. Yet, here was a human, approaching him for the same purpose. A human fifth columnist? Was what she proposed even possible? Pseudoskin, after all, could only do so much.

"Is something wrong?" Kim asked with a hint of a smile as she stripped off her clothes and turned on the water. "All I've done is turn your life upside down."

"Is that all?" he answered dryly and removed his own uniform.

They both pretended to be nonchalant about sitting in the tub together. Martin was surprised though, when she leaned against him and said, "So, where do we start?" He had the sinking feeling that all of his carefully thought-out plans had just been nullified.

*****

After asking him some questions about her duties, and impressing him with her knowledge of the ship’s activities, she stood up to leave. He stopped her with a touch on her arm. "You may as well spend the night here. Give Diana something to think about."

With a slight nod, she stepped out of the tub and waited for him. He showed her where cloths for drying were stored, and then led her to the bed. He allowed her to snuggle close beside him, and noted she lay so he could easily talk into her ear.

Martin was glad that she didn't press for an explanation. He wasn't entirely sure why he had impulsively asked her to stay longer, though he was oddly intrigued by this stranger who came to him with no pretenses. "Why did you come to me?" he murmured into her hair. Where was his revulsion? Shouldn’t he be appalled at what she proposed? Or had years at the clinic removed all of his barriers, leaving him open to... were there even words for the current situation?

She rolled over, nuzzling his jaw and neck, "I assume the microphones can’t hear us if we talk softly? Squeeze my arm once to confirm, twice to negate.” When she felt a single squeeze, she continued. “I saw you talking to Paul last week...one of you picked my sleeping spot as a meeting place."

"Did anyone else see us?" he asked, suddenly concerned for his own safety.

"Only the Visitor who helped me infiltrate. He’s back on board as a security guard named Jacob. Don't worry, we checked the area. No one else knew you were there. Be as careful as you have been and you should be safe. I wish I could tell you where Paul could find resistance members, but I don’t know where to look, either. I’ve been working alone. There are probably lots of small groups and individuals that are working independently of each other, simply because they don’t know who to trust. "

"Tell me something."

"If I can."

"You've obviously prepared well for this, and I know you're determined. Why didn't you just slip on board, get your brother, and leave?"

"I want to. But how would that help everyone else that's been kidnapped? The only way our two worlds will survive is if we work together."

"You want to help us?"

"That's right," she answered. "What's a little physiology between neighbors?"

He thought about that for a long time before he finally fell asleep.

*****

During the day, she worked in the storage section, learning about the storage process and general ship activities. And at night, after performing for the ever watchful Diana, they lay together under the covers while he quietly drilled her on cultural behaviors, their language, and military protocol. Frequently, when he corrected her, she quickly retorted with some clever remark, bring momentary levity into an otherwise frightening existence. Other conversations were carried out in a normal, conversational tone, their meaning negated by double squeezes hidden from the cameras. At such times, Kim found herself wanting to laugh and fought to keep the sarcasm from her voice while she praised Diana, the Leader, and all of the other loyal senior officers.

*****

On one such evening, they were interrupted by a chime at the door, followed by a voice over the com-system. “Food service, sir,” the voice said.

Martin absently pressed a button on the wall over the bunk where they lay and pressed the door release before returning his full attention to the human. He felt Kim stiffen in his arms as the door slid open and he tried to reassure her. “Relax. Just ignore him,” he whispered to her.

Kim bit back a retort and tried to comply. “Does this happen often?” she murmured in his ear as he nuzzled her neck.

“Every three days. How do you think the cages are refilled and the animals maintained? Hush now, or he might hear.”

She had wondered about that, but had noticed food and water supplies were built into the back wall of each chamber of the rack of cages. Though necessary to maintain the health of the animals, the food and water supplies were barely visible from the front, and a cursory glance made one think the animals were being kept in empty cells composed of clear plastic. She had just assumed that access to the cages was from the other side of the wall, so as not to encroach into crew quarters.

Martin acted as if they were still alone, his caresses unabated. She forced herself to lie still and accept his touch, though she longed to get up and demand that the interloper vacate the premises.

As soon as they were alone, she launched into more questions. “Why not wait until you’re gone?” she hissed between clenched teeth. Talk about an invasion of privacy! Knowing her every movement could be watched by camera was degrading enough. Having a stranger actually enter the room reached beyond degrading, and extended into a realm without words. Yet Martin acted as if the intrusion was of no consequence. Had his entire life been so bereft of privacy that the lack of it didn’t even warrant a response?

“No one of his rank would dare enter my quarters without me being present.”

“Is that his only assignment? Dragging carts of rodents around the ship and cleaning cages?”

“Along with overseeing their breeding, and testing Earth animals for safety of consumption, yes.”

“He must see a lot of interesting things, if he’s always barging into people’s quarters at all hours of the day and night,” Kim commented.

“Nothing he hasn’t seen before, I’m sure. Besides, most of the crew quarters cages are accessed from the main corridor. It’s only the quarters of the higher-ranking officers that are organized like you see here.”

“So having someone barge in on you is one of the _perks_ of higher rank?” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm and distaste from her voice. Only the underlings were given privacy? What an outrage!

“Actually, yes.” Martin explained patiently, “Sabotage through the food supply is far more dangerous when you have to enter the quarters yourself, meet someone in person, and be identified by the intercom system. Don’t forget the potential for them to be recorded on camera, as well..”

“Does he always come at the same time?”

“Usually. Why?” Her persistent questioning was intriguing. What was so awful about having a crew member present for a few minutes? She would never have survived the clinic back home.

“Because I intend to be anywhere but in this bunk when he comes again.”

“You prefer the floor?” he asked dryly, interrupting his nuzzling to look her in the eye.

Kim playfully punched him in the arm and hid a smile, with only partial success. “And you think our ways are strange! God...”

**Author's Note:**

> When I wrote this, I didn't write in chapters. I've tried to break things up a bit so you can move around in the text easily on a device. As always, i also tried to give the pseudo chapters titles that trigger memories of the contents for those of you who like to jump around when revisiting a story. Not that I would ever do this..... nope. Not me! :-)


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